Updates tagged with scifi on Jonkman Microblog!
blacksam: I watched Netflix's 3 Body Problem over two days. It was definitely competent enough to be watchable, but the more I think back on it the less I like it. I haven't read the books, so it's hard to separate some of the flaws in the adaptation from flaws in the source material. Since it was adapted by the Game of Thrones team, it's probably safe to assume it was mostly the former. One of my main criticisms is that it seemed to introduce a lot of different ideas but only very shallowly, which I am going to assume is book -> TV lossiness, but when you do that this aggressively I feel like it makes the whole thing seem like a messy pile of absurdity. Another issue is that it seems like this world-ending threat can only be solved by a small handful of people who just happen to all know each other already, though (paradoxically) several of them basically do nothing productive until the very end, as obvious set-ups for a sequel. The most egregious issue that I can probably safely blame on the book is the whole Panama Canal thing, which seems like an indulgent excuse to use a "neat" sci-fi concept, but is so over the top and absurd that it could only exist in (bad) fiction. OK, rant over I guess. If you've read the book(s) let me know that you think. #netflix #threebodyproblem #cixinliu #scifi #tv
blacksam's status on Sunday, 24-Mar-2024 09:15:55 EDT
I watched Netflix's 3 Body Problem over two days. It was definitely competent enough to be watchable, but the more I think back on it the less I like it. I haven't read the books, so it's hard to separate some of the flaws in the adaptation from flaws in the source material. Since it was adapted by the Game of Thrones team, it's probably safe to assume it was mostly the former. One of my main criticisms is that it seemed to introduce a lot of different ideas but only very shallowly, which I am going to assume is book -> TV lossiness, but when you do that this aggressively I feel like it makes the whole thing seem like a messy pile of absurdity. Another issue is that it seems like this world-ending threat can only be solved by a small handful of people who just happen to all know each other already, though (paradoxically) several of them basically do nothing productive until the very end, as obvious set-ups for a sequel. The most egregious issue that I can probably safely blame on the book is the whole Panama Canal thing, which seems like an indulgent excuse to use a "neat" sci-fi concept, but is so over the top and absurd that it could only exist in (bad) fiction. OK, rant over I guess. If you've read the book(s) let me know that you think. #netflix #threebodyproblem #cixinliu #scifi #tv
clacke: People out there who enjoyed the harder sci-fi of "The Expanse" are recommending:- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silo_(se… - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beacon_2… - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extrapol…I'll put them on my list to check out.Silo: People in a post-apocalyptic world trapped in an underground silo. The world outside is lethal. Or is it? Yes, it is. Or is it?Beacon 23: Two people stuck on a dark-matter "lighthouse" at the edge of settled space. Slow-going world-building.Extrapolations: Climate future anthology with loads of famous actors.#SciFi #ScienceFiction #TheExpanse #Silo #SiloSeries #Beacon23 #Extrapolations #ExtrapolationsSeries
clacke's status on Thursday, 28-Dec-2023 00:42:15 EST
People out there who enjoyed the harder sci-fi of "The Expanse" are recommending: - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silo_(se… - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beacon_2… - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extrapol… I'll put them on my list to check out. Silo: People in a post-apocalyptic world trapped in an underground silo. The world outside is lethal. Or is it? Yes, it is. Or is it? Beacon 23: Two people stuck on a dark-matter "lighthouse" at the edge of settled space. Slow-going world-building. Extrapolations: Climate future anthology with loads of famous actors. #SciFi #ScienceFiction #TheExpanse #Silo #SiloSeries #Beacon23 #Extrapolations #ExtrapolationsSeries
clacke: inhibited exhausted pixie dream boy 🇸🇪🇭🇰💙💛
blacksam: I read James SA Corey's new short story How It Unfolds yesterday. It's a very quick read with some interesting (though not fully developed) ideas about future space travel/colonization. It reminded me vaguely of a much more condensed (and less trashy) version of Dennis Taylor's We Are Legion (We Are Bob), at least as it applies to the idea of humanity technologically replicating itself across the galaxy. While I enjoyed the single-serving story, I know Ty Franck and Daniel Abraham had mentioned their plans to work on a new non-Expanse-related scifi project. I hope this isn't what they were talking about, because I want a lot more. #jamessacorey #tyfranck #danielabraham #scifi #fiction
blacksam's status on Thursday, 29-Jun-2023 09:40:49 EDT
I read James SA Corey's new short story How It Unfolds yesterday. It's a very quick read with some interesting (though not fully developed) ideas about future space travel/colonization. It reminded me vaguely of a much more condensed (and less trashy) version of Dennis Taylor's We Are Legion (We Are Bob), at least as it applies to the idea of humanity technologically replicating itself across the galaxy. While I enjoyed the single-serving story, I know Ty Franck and Daniel Abraham had mentioned their plans to work on a new non-Expanse-related scifi project. I hope this isn't what they were talking about, because I want a lot more. #jamessacorey #tyfranck #danielabraham #scifi #fiction
blacksam: I just finished watching the final episode of The Expanse. I wasn't super happy with this season in general, because 6 reduced length episodes was just too constraining to tell the story properly, but damn that last episode was good. A lot of shows go out with a whimper (or even a WTF?) so I'm thankful they at least wrapped it up with class. Given how rushed the season was, though, I'm still left a little confused why they devoted so much time to the "Strange Dogs" mini-storyline (Cara and Xan on Laconia). As a book reader I know where it's going, but from the show's perspective it's just kind of a weird non-sequitur. Maybe they have secret plans to adapt the last three books on another platform, but that's my fanboy optimism talking. My inner cynic wonders if it was to leave people frustrated so they'll go buy the books 😃 #theexpanse #jamessacorey #scifi
blacksam's status on Friday, 14-Jan-2022 19:21:41 EST
I just finished watching the final episode of The Expanse. I wasn't super happy with this season in general, because 6 reduced length episodes was just too constraining to tell the story properly, but damn that last episode was good. A lot of shows go out with a whimper (or even a WTF?) so I'm thankful they at least wrapped it up with class. Given how rushed the season was, though, I'm still left a little confused why they devoted so much time to the "Strange Dogs" mini-storyline (Cara and Xan on Laconia). As a book reader I know where it's going, but from the show's perspective it's just kind of a weird non-sequitur. Maybe they have secret plans to adapt the last three books on another platform, but that's my fanboy optimism talking. My inner cynic wonders if it was to leave people frustrated so they'll go buy the books 😃 #theexpanse #jamessacorey #scifi
blacksam: I know there were very valid real-world reasons for getting rid of Cas Anvar from The Expanse, but I can't help but feel that without Alex the crew chemistry is off -- especially now that everyone's all broody. #theexpanse #scifi #jamessacorey #tv
blacksam's status on Saturday, 18-Dec-2021 08:03:34 EST
I know there were very valid real-world reasons for getting rid of Cas Anvar from The Expanse, but I can't help but feel that without Alex the crew chemistry is off -- especially now that everyone's all broody. #theexpanse #scifi #jamessacorey #tv
blacksam: I finished Leviathan Falls this afternoon. I was a bit let down that it explained less about the alien stuff than I expected, but it did explain enough to wrap up the story in a sensible way. There's supposed to be one more novella out in early 2022. It might go into that stuff, but I doubt it. I guess it will stay mysterious. #theexpanse #jamessacorey #scifi #fiction
blacksam's status on Sunday, 05-Dec-2021 16:50:29 EST
I finished Leviathan Falls this afternoon. I was a bit let down that it explained less about the alien stuff than I expected, but it did explain enough to wrap up the story in a sensible way. There's supposed to be one more novella out in early 2022. It might go into that stuff, but I doubt it. I guess it will stay mysterious. #theexpanse #jamessacorey #scifi #fiction
blacksam: The 9th and final novel in The Expanse series, Leviathan Falls, will be released tomorrow. Can't wait. #theexpanse #jamessacorey #scifi #fiction
blacksam's status on Monday, 29-Nov-2021 09:24:11 EST
The 9th and final novel in The Expanse series, Leviathan Falls, will be released tomorrow. Can't wait. #theexpanse #jamessacorey #scifi #fiction
blacksam: As a book reader, I'm a little confused as to what they're up to. Despite the fact that they've decided not to continue the show and adapt books 7-9, they keep setting up stuff for it. Given that this final season is only 6 episodes it will have to run pretty lean, yet they're bringing in stuff about Laconia from the novellas that won't pay off. Why would they do this? https://youtu.be/fb01ds-4IC4 #theexpanse #jamessacorey #scifi #tv
blacksam's status on Wednesday, 17-Nov-2021 13:45:18 EST
As a book reader, I'm a little confused as to what they're up to. Despite the fact that they've decided not to continue the show and adapt books 7-9, they keep setting up stuff for it. Given that this final season is only 6 episodes it will have to run pretty lean, yet they're bringing in stuff about Laconia from the novellas that won't pay off. Why would they do this? https://youtu.be/fb01ds-4IC4 #theexpanse #jamessacorey #scifi #tv
The Expanse Season 6 - Official Trailer | Prime Video
blacksam: Looks like there are book 9 sample chapters out in the wild... https://youtu.be/yUt0qgpmBDw #theexpanse #scifi #fiction #jamessacorey #leviathanfalls
blacksam's status on Tuesday, 21-Sep-2021 13:51:03 EDT
Looks like there are book 9 sample chapters out in the wild... https://youtu.be/yUt0qgpmBDw #theexpanse #scifi #fiction #jamessacorey #leviathanfalls
The EXPANSE Leviathan Falls Sample Chapters Discussion Book 9 Preview
blacksam: For me, the most interesting piece of future human technology in The Expanse is the ubiquitous “recycler”. It’s a mysterious contraption that you can throw basically anything into (food, utensils, clothing, guns) and it presumably “recycles” them. It works so efficiently that nobody seems to bother to clean or re-use most everyday items anymore. Dirty dishes? Throw 'em in the recycler. Skidmark in your underpants? Recycler. Need to get rid of a murder weapon? Recycler. I don’t bother wondering how any of the alien tech works, because it’s meant to be incomprehensible… but I find myself spending a lot of time wondering how the hell the recycler works. #theexpanse #scifi #fiction #jamessacorey
blacksam's status on Monday, 20-Sep-2021 07:30:32 EDT
For me, the most interesting piece of future human technology in The Expanse is the ubiquitous “recycler”. It’s a mysterious contraption that you can throw basically anything into (food, utensils, clothing, guns) and it presumably “recycles” them. It works so efficiently that nobody seems to bother to clean or re-use most everyday items anymore. Dirty dishes? Throw 'em in the recycler. Skidmark in your underpants? Recycler. Need to get rid of a murder weapon? Recycler. I don’t bother wondering how any of the alien tech works, because it’s meant to be incomprehensible… but I find myself spending a lot of time wondering how the hell the recycler works. #theexpanse #scifi #fiction #jamessacorey
blacksam: For me, the most interesting piece of future human technology in The Expanse is the ubiquitous "recycler". It's a mysterious contraption that you can throw basically anything into (food, utensils, clothing, guns) and it presumably "recycles" them. It works so efficiently that nobody seems to bother to clean or re-use most everyday items anymore. Dirty dishes? Throw 'em in the recycler. Skidmark in your underpants? Recycler. Need to get rid of a murder weapon? Recycler. I don't bother wondering how any of the alien tech works, because it's meant to be incomprehensible... but I find myself spending a lot of time wondering how the hell the recycler works. #theexpanse #scifi #fiction @jamessacorey
blacksam's status on Monday, 20-Sep-2021 07:29:57 EDT
For me, the most interesting piece of future human technology in The Expanse is the ubiquitous "recycler". It's a mysterious contraption that you can throw basically anything into (food, utensils, clothing, guns) and it presumably "recycles" them. It works so efficiently that nobody seems to bother to clean or re-use most everyday items anymore. Dirty dishes? Throw 'em in the recycler. Skidmark in your underpants? Recycler. Need to get rid of a murder weapon? Recycler. I don't bother wondering how any of the alien tech works, because it's meant to be incomprehensible... but I find myself spending a lot of time wondering how the hell the recycler works. #theexpanse #scifi #fiction @jamessacorey
blacksam: Last night I finished re-reading Babylon's Ashes, I was initially pretty disappointed when I heard they were stopping The Expanse TV series there, but upon reflection I think it is a pretty decent spot to wrap up. It pretty much results in the functional end of the Earth/Mars/Belt paradigm that drives most of the series' drama and politics, and in that respect I think if forms a good "ending" to the story, albeit one that leaves some major unanswered mysteries behind. #theexpanse #scifi #jamessacorey
blacksam's status on Wednesday, 08-Sep-2021 09:34:05 EDT
Last night I finished re-reading Babylon's Ashes, I was initially pretty disappointed when I heard they were stopping The Expanse TV series there, but upon reflection I think it is a pretty decent spot to wrap up. It pretty much results in the functional end of the Earth/Mars/Belt paradigm that drives most of the series' drama and politics, and in that respect I think if forms a good "ending" to the story, albeit one that leaves some major unanswered mysteries behind. #theexpanse #scifi #jamessacorey
blacksam: Hey @[Michael Moceri](/people/edc029a0ae4a01364741005056268def), I've had one major gripe with The Expanse universe, and I feel like you're the person most likely to have thoughts on it here. What I've noticed is a lack of mass surveillance, which permits the crew of the Roci to get away with a lot of their capers. I'm guessing it's omitted as a narrative convenience, but it seems to me like that the techno-capitalist paradigm the solar system runs under sort of screams for it to exist. I'm sure they could come up with some rationalization for it, but since it's not addressed at all in the material it comes across as a "cheat" on the writers' part. What do you think? #theexpanse #jamessacorey #scifi
blacksam's status on Monday, 28-Jun-2021 14:23:07 EDT
Hey @[Michael Moceri](/people/edc029a0ae4a01364741005056268def), I've had one major gripe with The Expanse universe, and I feel like you're the person most likely to have thoughts on it here. What I've noticed is a lack of mass surveillance, which permits the crew of the Roci to get away with a lot of their capers. I'm guessing it's omitted as a narrative convenience, but it seems to me like that the techno-capitalist paradigm the solar system runs under sort of screams for it to exist. I'm sure they could come up with some rationalization for it, but since it's not addressed at all in the material it comes across as a "cheat" on the writers' part. What do you think? #theexpanse #jamessacorey #scifi
blacksam: I'm re-reading Leviathan Wakes, and not for the first time wishing that the Nauvoo had ended up taking the journey it was built for. That sounds like a great book to itself. #theexpanse #jamessacorey #scifi
blacksam's status on Wednesday, 24-Feb-2021 20:32:03 EST
I'm re-reading Leviathan Wakes, and not for the first time wishing that the Nauvoo had ended up taking the journey it was built for. That sounds like a great book to itself. #theexpanse #jamessacorey #scifi
blacksam: I'm re-reading Leviathan Wakes, and. It for the first time wishing that the Nauvoo had ended up taking the journey it was built for. That sounds like a great book to itself. #theexpanse #jamessacorey #scifi
blacksam's status on Wednesday, 24-Feb-2021 20:30:48 EST
I'm re-reading Leviathan Wakes, and. It for the first time wishing that the Nauvoo had ended up taking the journey it was built for. That sounds like a great book to itself. #theexpanse #jamessacorey #scifi
blacksam: Ep. 001 - Alien and The Expanse S1E1 In this first episode, Wes and Ty dig deep into their mutual love of 1979's ALIEN by Ridley Scott and how foundational it was on the creation of The Expanse. #ty #scott #alien #harry #dean #canterbury #franck #wes #nostromo #stanton #ridley #expanse #chatham #xenomorph #yaphet #kotto #gieger #tyandthatguy #theexpanse #scifi #podcast posted by pod_feeder_v2
blacksam's status on Monday, 22-Feb-2021 18:09:01 EST
Ep. 001 - Alien and The Expanse S1E1 In this first episode, Wes and Ty dig deep into their mutual love of 1979's ALIEN by Ridley Scott and how foundational it was on the creation of The Expanse. #ty #scott #alien #harry #dean #canterbury #franck #wes #nostromo #stanton #ridley #expanse #chatham #xenomorph #yaphet #kotto #gieger #tyandthatguy #theexpanse #scifi #podcast posted by pod_feeder_v2
blacksam: I gather from my recent post about sci-fi space combat that there are plenty of people here willing to have nerdy discussions about that kind of thing. There's something that's been at the back of my mind ever since I started reading the Expanse series that doesn't have an answer in the text, and I suspect probably never will, but I think it's interesting to thing about nonetheless. I'll try to describe things well enough that those unfamiliar with the series can still weigh in. WARNING: Some Expanse spoilers ahead, up to roughly book/season 3. In the story, we're presented with artifacts from an extinct alien civilization that once colonized some portion of the galaxy using what appear to be stable wormholes. These wormholes link ~1300 star systems to a central nexus point, such that you can enter a wormhole in any one of those systems, traverse a small pocket dimension of some kind, and emerge through another wormhole in any one of the connected systems using conventional propulsion. It appears that this massive wormhole network was built by sending advance probes to these star systems to construct a wormhole endpoint ("ring gate") locally which then phone home to the nexus point to establish a link. We don't have any direct evidence that these beings were capable of FTL travel outside of the use of wormholes, so I think it stands to reason that these probes were sent from their point of origin at sub-light speed. We also know that the probe which was sent to our system ended up getting stuck in orbit of Jupiter, so it was going fairly slow, at least by the time it got here. I don't know what the average distance between stars is in the Milky Way (and it likely varies considerably by region) but I do know that our closest stellar neighbor is roughly 4 light years away. If we wanted to send a probe there (and have it stop rather than zoom past) then the absolute fastest possible sub-light journey would be about 8 years (assuming half the trip was spent slowing down), and likely much, much longer than that as getting the probe anywhere near light speed would be pretty hard. So, if these distances are at all typical (and ignoring that the average distance to a "habitable" planet is probably much further than merely the nearest star) then I'd expect that this 1300 star system wormhole network would have taken a LONG time to build out, at least in human terms. We don't have a map of where these systems are in the galaxy, but I think it's a likely guess that they stretch out in a branching pattern from some origin point (i.e. the aliens pick a system that is a reasonable distance from several other desirable systems, then once linked up they send more probes out from there instead of from their home system). That would probably mean that the growth of the network would start slow but rapidly accelerate as more nodes came online. There would still be some pretty hefty wait times between iterations, I think. The only other major clue about the aliens' technology that we have that I can think of readily is Eros. In the books, the alien technology was able to propel a large asteroid without any discernible means thrust, and those inside it felt no effects from the acceleration. There's no indication of what kind of speeds it might have been capable of, or how long it could sustain propulsion but the acceleration demonstrated was on the order of 20 Gs or so, IIRC. Anything other details I'm forgetting? So, how did they (the aliens) likely approach this? How long did it take? What tricks might they have used or what shortcuts might they have taken? #theexpanse #scifi #physics #astronomy #spacetravel #propulsion #aliens #nerds
blacksam's status on Thursday, 04-Feb-2021 12:41:15 EST
I gather from my recent post about sci-fi space combat that there are plenty of people here willing to have nerdy discussions about that kind of thing. There's something that's been at the back of my mind ever since I started reading the Expanse series that doesn't have an answer in the text, and I suspect probably never will, but I think it's interesting to thing about nonetheless. I'll try to describe things well enough that those unfamiliar with the series can still weigh in. WARNING: Some Expanse spoilers ahead, up to roughly book/season 3. In the story, we're presented with artifacts from an extinct alien civilization that once colonized some portion of the galaxy using what appear to be stable wormholes. These wormholes link ~1300 star systems to a central nexus point, such that you can enter a wormhole in any one of those systems, traverse a small pocket dimension of some kind, and emerge through another wormhole in any one of the connected systems using conventional propulsion. It appears that this massive wormhole network was built by sending advance probes to these star systems to construct a wormhole endpoint ("ring gate") locally which then phone home to the nexus point to establish a link. We don't have any direct evidence that these beings were capable of FTL travel outside of the use of wormholes, so I think it stands to reason that these probes were sent from their point of origin at sub-light speed. We also know that the probe which was sent to our system ended up getting stuck in orbit of Jupiter, so it was going fairly slow, at least by the time it got here. I don't know what the average distance between stars is in the Milky Way (and it likely varies considerably by region) but I do know that our closest stellar neighbor is roughly 4 light years away. If we wanted to send a probe there (and have it stop rather than zoom past) then the absolute fastest possible sub-light journey would be about 8 years (assuming half the trip was spent slowing down), and likely much, much longer than that as getting the probe anywhere near light speed would be pretty hard. So, if these distances are at all typical (and ignoring that the average distance to a "habitable" planet is probably much further than merely the nearest star) then I'd expect that this 1300 star system wormhole network would have taken a LONG time to build out, at least in human terms. We don't have a map of where these systems are in the galaxy, but I think it's a likely guess that they stretch out in a branching pattern from some origin point (i.e. the aliens pick a system that is a reasonable distance from several other desirable systems, then once linked up they send more probes out from there instead of from their home system). That would probably mean that the growth of the network would start slow but rapidly accelerate as more nodes came online. There would still be some pretty hefty wait times between iterations, I think. The only other major clue about the aliens' technology that we have that I can think of readily is Eros. In the books, the alien technology was able to propel a large asteroid without any discernible means thrust, and those inside it felt no effects from the acceleration. There's no indication of what kind of speeds it might have been capable of, or how long it could sustain propulsion but the acceleration demonstrated was on the order of 20 Gs or so, IIRC. Anything other details I'm forgetting? So, how did they (the aliens) likely approach this? How long did it take? What tricks might they have used or what shortcuts might they have taken? #theexpanse #scifi #physics #astronomy #spacetravel #propulsion #aliens #nerds
blacksam: Ballistic weapons are so much more satisfying than lasers in space battles. You can keep your phasers and blasters. I'll take bullets and torpedos any day. I submit any fight scene from BSG or The Expanse as evidence. Star Wars/Trek can suck it. Fight me. #scifi #spacecombat #weapons #battlestargalactica #theexpanse #startrek #starwars
blacksam's status on Wednesday, 03-Feb-2021 18:27:04 EST
Ballistic weapons are so much more satisfying than lasers in space battles. You can keep your phasers and blasters. I'll take bullets and torpedos any day. I submit any fight scene from BSG or The Expanse as evidence. Star Wars/Trek can suck it. Fight me. #scifi #spacecombat #weapons #battlestargalactica #theexpanse #startrek #starwars
blacksam: The Expanse season 5 finale was great. I'm super happy with it. It's a little weird though, because they seem to be leaning in heavily to stuff that will only pay off in the books they're presumably not going to cover. I guess they didn't know that when they made this season. I guess we'll see. #theexpanse #jamessacorey #scifi
blacksam's status on Wednesday, 03-Feb-2021 18:23:01 EST
The Expanse season 5 finale was great. I'm super happy with it. It's a little weird though, because they seem to be leaning in heavily to stuff that will only pay off in the books they're presumably not going to cover. I guess they didn't know that when they made this season. I guess we'll see. #theexpanse #jamessacorey #scifi
blacksam: I'm glad we got to see this part of the story on screen. Amos' weird friendships are some of the best parts of The Expanse. Maybe some day we'll get to see his time with Teresa D. also, in some form or another. https://youtu.be/YhpHB2AqLGw #petepeppers #theexpanse #jamessacorey #scifi
blacksam's status on Monday, 25-Jan-2021 13:07:44 EST
I'm glad we got to see this part of the story on screen. Amos' weird friendships are some of the best parts of The Expanse. Maybe some day we'll get to see his time with Teresa D. also, in some form or another. https://youtu.be/YhpHB2AqLGw #petepeppers #theexpanse #jamessacorey #scifi
blacksam: Now that season 5 of The Expanse is about halfway done, I have a few thoughts: The show is more beautifully shot than ever. It seriously looks major motion-picture quality, in both the real and digital aspects. The overall quality of the writing and acting is good. However, overall it feels too busy to me, with a lot of switching/juggling plotlines that seems to mess with the pacing. They're not entirely to blame for this as book 5 splits all of the main characters into separate stories, but as a viewer I'd rather they spend more time with 2 or 3 of the stronger elements rather than having each one pushed forward by 10 minutes per episode. For instance, I think it would have worked amazingly to make one whole hour that was Amos' entire journey on Earth rather than getting it parcelled out in tiny bits. Since season 4, one of the things that's worked the least for me are the places where they've added/padded material just to keep certain characters in the story. For example, Bobbie's whole Mars adventure fell kind of flat for me, as did Avasarala's re-election. While Bobbie's was sort of lifted from one of the novellas they both seemed like they were just put there to keep the actors on the payroll, as book 4 sidelines pretty much everyone except the core Roci crew. While there's less of this in season 5 (because the source material gives everyone more to do) I'm similarly underwhelmed with whatever they're doing with Drummer. Like some of the season 4 stuff, so far it really just feels like they're keeping the actor on screen/under contract in an already overcrowded story. Finally, I wouldn't be fully honest if I didn't admit that knowing we're not getting books 7-9 brought to television has somewhat dimmed my enthusiasm for the show a bit. There's so much I would be looking forward to seeing that isn't going to materialize, which is a drag. Amazon hasn't done anything wrong with the show under their run, per se, and they've definitely put a lot on money behind it, but I feel like for a variety of reasons the first three SyFy seasons packed a better punch. I guess we'll see what the back half brings. #theexpanse #jamessacorey #scifi
blacksam's status on Tuesday, 05-Jan-2021 13:37:14 EST
Now that season 5 of The Expanse is about halfway done, I have a few thoughts: The show is more beautifully shot than ever. It seriously looks major motion-picture quality, in both the real and digital aspects. The overall quality of the writing and acting is good. However, overall it feels too busy to me, with a lot of switching/juggling plotlines that seems to mess with the pacing. They're not entirely to blame for this as book 5 splits all of the main characters into separate stories, but as a viewer I'd rather they spend more time with 2 or 3 of the stronger elements rather than having each one pushed forward by 10 minutes per episode. For instance, I think it would have worked amazingly to make one whole hour that was Amos' entire journey on Earth rather than getting it parcelled out in tiny bits. Since season 4, one of the things that's worked the least for me are the places where they've added/padded material just to keep certain characters in the story. For example, Bobbie's whole Mars adventure fell kind of flat for me, as did Avasarala's re-election. While Bobbie's was sort of lifted from one of the novellas they both seemed like they were just put there to keep the actors on the payroll, as book 4 sidelines pretty much everyone except the core Roci crew. While there's less of this in season 5 (because the source material gives everyone more to do) I'm similarly underwhelmed with whatever they're doing with Drummer. Like some of the season 4 stuff, so far it really just feels like they're keeping the actor on screen/under contract in an already overcrowded story. Finally, I wouldn't be fully honest if I didn't admit that knowing we're not getting books 7-9 brought to television has somewhat dimmed my enthusiasm for the show a bit. There's so much I would be looking forward to seeing that isn't going to materialize, which is a drag. Amazon hasn't done anything wrong with the show under their run, per se, and they've definitely put a lot on money behind it, but I feel like for a variety of reasons the first three SyFy seasons packed a better punch. I guess we'll see what the back half brings. #theexpanse #jamessacorey #scifi
blacksam: EXPANSE SPOILERS: Episode 4 was great overall. I have a couple of comments/observations though. First, is it just me or have they pretty majorly nerfed Inaros' attack on Earth compared to the books? I'm not sure I understand why. They took a giant "holy shit" event from the books and made it, I don't know, less intense. Seems antithetical to TV writing. Second, I wish they had decided to spend the VFX money they've clearly laid out for season 5 when the shot season 4. One of my big disappointments in season 4 is that the robo-Miller on screen was super lame compared to the books. That droid thing in this episode looked fucking awesome. #theexpanse #jamessacorey #scifi #television
blacksam's status on Wednesday, 23-Dec-2020 17:06:30 EST
EXPANSE SPOILERS: Episode 4 was great overall. I have a couple of comments/observations though. First, is it just me or have they pretty majorly nerfed Inaros' attack on Earth compared to the books? I'm not sure I understand why. They took a giant "holy shit" event from the books and made it, I don't know, less intense. Seems antithetical to TV writing. Second, I wish they had decided to spend the VFX money they've clearly laid out for season 5 when the shot season 4. One of my big disappointments in season 4 is that the robo-Miller on screen was super lame compared to the books. That droid thing in this episode looked fucking awesome. #theexpanse #jamessacorey #scifi #television
blacksam: I watched the first three espisodes of The Expanse season 5, and it has me pretty curious about where Camina Drummer is going. Minor book spoilers ahead. Drummer is a character in the books, and an important one, but the Drummer on the TV show is sort of an amalgam between book Drummer and another character named Carlos "Bull" de Baca. Book Drummer is indeed Fred Johnson's security chief on Tycho as we see on the show, and she comes back much later in an important role, but she never captains the Nauvoo through the ring (that was always Asheford), and most of what happens to her in season 3 (like breaking her spine) actually happens to de Baca. I'm not complaining, at all, because I love the character as presented on the show, (and TBH never really missed de Baca) but it's interesting now because they've brought in de Baca in season 5 as Tycho's new security chief (see what they did there?), and seem to have merged Drummer's new trajectory into another book character named Michio Pa. Interestingly, Pa was on the Behemoth as Asheford's XO. In the books, though, she also ends up joining with Marco Inaros' Free Navy. It's an odd change to put Drummer in her place as the way they've set things up, she seems to have a serious hate on for Inaros. Is she going to have a change of heart, or will something completely new happen? I have no idea. Unlike a lot of adaptations of books, I more or less really enjoy the changes the show has made. For the most part they're good, if not for the better, and they keep things interesting as a viewer because of things like this. It probably helps that the writers of the books have been writing the screenplays all along as well. The only potential change I'm dreading is however they end up wrapping up the story three book too soon when the show ends in season 6. #theexpanse #scifi #jamessacorey #television #books
blacksam's status on Thursday, 17-Dec-2020 09:30:08 EST
I watched the first three espisodes of The Expanse season 5, and it has me pretty curious about where Camina Drummer is going. Minor book spoilers ahead. Drummer is a character in the books, and an important one, but the Drummer on the TV show is sort of an amalgam between book Drummer and another character named Carlos "Bull" de Baca. Book Drummer is indeed Fred Johnson's security chief on Tycho as we see on the show, and she comes back much later in an important role, but she never captains the Nauvoo through the ring (that was always Asheford), and most of what happens to her in season 3 (like breaking her spine) actually happens to de Baca. I'm not complaining, at all, because I love the character as presented on the show, (and TBH never really missed de Baca) but it's interesting now because they've brought in de Baca in season 5 as Tycho's new security chief (see what they did there?), and seem to have merged Drummer's new trajectory into another book character named Michio Pa. Interestingly, Pa was on the Behemoth as Asheford's XO. In the books, though, she also ends up joining with Marco Inaros' Free Navy. It's an odd change to put Drummer in her place as the way they've set things up, she seems to have a serious hate on for Inaros. Is she going to have a change of heart, or will something completely new happen? I have no idea. Unlike a lot of adaptations of books, I more or less really enjoy the changes the show has made. For the most part they're good, if not for the better, and they keep things interesting as a viewer because of things like this. It probably helps that the writers of the books have been writing the screenplays all along as well. The only potential change I'm dreading is however they end up wrapping up the story three book too soon when the show ends in season 6. #theexpanse #scifi #jamessacorey #television #books
blacksam: I watched the first two episodes of The Expanse. It looks like a movie. They spent a lot of money. No wonder it's been cancelled 🙄 It's great so far though. #theexpanse #jamessacorey #scifi #television
blacksam's status on Wednesday, 16-Dec-2020 18:20:46 EST
I watched the first two episodes of The Expanse. It looks like a movie. They spent a lot of money. No wonder it's been cancelled 🙄 It's great so far though. #theexpanse #jamessacorey #scifi #television
blacksam: YAY! https://trekmovie.com/2020/11/09/exclusive-the-orville-season-3-is-returning-to-production-in-december/ #theorville #scifi #television
blacksam's status on Wednesday, 16-Dec-2020 13:55:16 EST
YAY! https://trekmovie.com/2020/11/09/exclusive-the-orville-season-3-is-returning-to-production-in-december/ #theorville #scifi #television
Exclusive: ‘The Orville’ Season 3 Is Returning To Production In December
blacksam: Found on an Expanse reddit thread about whether Sadavir Errinwright was really such a bad guy: You might disagree with some of his decisions, but I personally think he was more of a nationalist than an evil guy as some fans seem to present him as. Just for context, if you haven't read the books, the character in question who is more of a "nationalist" than an "evil guy" did the following: Consented to and abetted the mass murder of thousands of civilians Ordered multiple political assassinations Personally murdered someone Conducted/funded a covert, extra-legal bio-weapons program using unwilling/unwitting human subjects Engineered a false-flag operation (which also murdered several hundred civilians) to start a war as a cover/distraction for his illegal bio-weapons program Ordered the use of the resultant bio-weapons on a population of millions So yeah, just a misunderstood patriot. What's the big deal? 🙄 #theexpanse #scifi #fiction #reddit #wtf
blacksam's status on Friday, 11-Dec-2020 13:05:48 EST
Found on an Expanse reddit thread about whether Sadavir Errinwright was really such a bad guy: You might disagree with some of his decisions, but I personally think he was more of a nationalist than an evil guy as some fans seem to present him as. Just for context, if you haven't read the books, the character in question who is more of a "nationalist" than an "evil guy" did the following: Consented to and abetted the mass murder of thousands of civilians Ordered multiple political assassinations Personally murdered someone Conducted/funded a covert, extra-legal bio-weapons program using unwilling/unwitting human subjects Engineered a false-flag operation (which also murdered several hundred civilians) to start a war as a cover/distraction for his illegal bio-weapons program Ordered the use of the resultant bio-weapons on a population of millions So yeah, just a misunderstood patriot. What's the big deal? 🙄 #theexpanse #scifi #fiction #reddit #wtf
bobjonkman: That article (from 2018!) is just like reading a dystopian #SciFi novel, all newspeak and doublethink: "The chip also supports the Android Strongbox Keymaster module, including Trusted User Presence and Protected Confirmation" https://www.androidauthority.com/titan-m-security-chip-915888/
bobjonkman's status on Sunday, 06-Dec-2020 18:29:39 EST
That article (from 2018!) is just like reading a dystopian #SciFi novel, all newspeak and doublethink: "The chip also supports the Android Strongbox Keymaster module, including Trusted User Presence and Protected Confirmation" https://www.androidauthority.com/titan-m-security-chip-915888/
What Google's Titan M chip means for Android security and ROMs
blacksam: https://youtu.be/K3W61Ae0M9g #exurb1a #scifi #shortfiction #quantumphysics #manyworldshypothesis
blacksam's status on Thursday, 03-Dec-2020 12:26:55 EST
https://youtu.be/K3W61Ae0M9g #exurb1a #scifi #shortfiction #quantumphysics #manyworldshypothesis
blacksam: More words about the best Earther in The Expanse. https://youtu.be/ULflUzkIzxw #theexpanse #jamessacorey #scifi
blacksam's status on Monday, 30-Nov-2020 09:10:50 EST
More words about the best Earther in The Expanse. https://youtu.be/ULflUzkIzxw #theexpanse #jamessacorey #scifi
The Expanse Season 5 Preview Amos Burton | His Trip & The Churn
rozzin: "Ad Astra": 20 Years of #Newspaper #Ads for #Sci-Fi & #Fantasy Films https://status.hackerposse.com/url/22918
rozzin's status on Sunday, 29-Nov-2020 13:19:44 EST
"Ad Astra": 20 Years of #Newspaper #Ads for #Sci-Fi & #Fantasy Films https://status.hackerposse.com/url/22918
Ad Astra: 20 Years of Newspaper Ads for Sci-Fi & Fantasy Films
blacksam: Today was the first I've heard of the allegations against Cas Anvar and his expulsion from the cast of The Expanse. His portrayal of Alex Kamal has been incredible, and a big part of making the show as good as it is. It's a real shame that he's a turd in real life. I hope the final season of the show doesn't suffer for his shitbaggery. In different but related news, I found this blog post. While being horribly organizted/written, it puts forward a pretty interesting explanation about Amos' unique psychology by attributing it to a combination of autism and C-PTSD. I'm not an expert in either of those things, but it tracks well with what I know of the character's backstory from the books and novellas, and certainly fits the facts better than sociopathy. The most disappointing thing for me about the news that the series will be cut short at 6 seasons is we'll most likely miss seeing Amos' final evolution, which was one of the most surprising developments in the latter part of the series. Book readers will know what I'm talking about. #theexpanse #jamessacorey #scifi #television #books #casanvar
blacksam's status on Wednesday, 25-Nov-2020 13:27:18 EST
Today was the first I've heard of the allegations against Cas Anvar and his expulsion from the cast of The Expanse. His portrayal of Alex Kamal has been incredible, and a big part of making the show as good as it is. It's a real shame that he's a turd in real life. I hope the final season of the show doesn't suffer for his shitbaggery. In different but related news, I found this blog post. While being horribly organizted/written, it puts forward a pretty interesting explanation about Amos' unique psychology by attributing it to a combination of autism and C-PTSD. I'm not an expert in either of those things, but it tracks well with what I know of the character's backstory from the books and novellas, and certainly fits the facts better than sociopathy. The most disappointing thing for me about the news that the series will be cut short at 6 seasons is we'll most likely miss seeing Amos' final evolution, which was one of the most surprising developments in the latter part of the series. Book readers will know what I'm talking about. #theexpanse #jamessacorey #scifi #television #books #casanvar
blacksam: The good news: The Expanse was renewed for season 6. The bad news: It's going to be the last season. So, we get 2/3rds of the story. WTF? #theexpanse #jamessacorey #scifi #television
blacksam's status on Wednesday, 25-Nov-2020 12:41:39 EST
The good news: The Expanse was renewed for season 6. The bad news: It's going to be the last season. So, we get 2/3rds of the story. WTF? #theexpanse #jamessacorey #scifi #television
blacksam: I'd say in terms of the TV adaptation, Drummer comes in at a solid number 2 for me. It's hard to predict exactly where her arc is going, as she's kind of a blend of (book) Drummer, Michio Pa, and a dash of Bull de Baca, and at least two of those people go in fairly different directions in the books. Regardless, I think she's a joy to watch and Cara Gee does a great job with the role. https://youtu.be/EWNuBjG4LKg #theexpanse #scifi #television
blacksam's status on Friday, 20-Nov-2020 13:31:30 EST
I'd say in terms of the TV adaptation, Drummer comes in at a solid number 2 for me. It's hard to predict exactly where her arc is going, as she's kind of a blend of (book) Drummer, Michio Pa, and a dash of Bull de Baca, and at least two of those people go in fairly different directions in the books. Regardless, I think she's a joy to watch and Cara Gee does a great job with the role. https://youtu.be/EWNuBjG4LKg #theexpanse #scifi #television
The Best Female Character in Science Fiction
blacksam: I'm getting excited for Season 5, now less than a month out. I might actually get to see it before the world collapses. Anyway, Amos is my favorite character (from a cast of really good characters) and while I don't agree 100% with this analysis, I think it mostly tracks. https://youtu.be/ZzgP6i4knhE #theexpanse #scifi #television
blacksam's status on Friday, 20-Nov-2020 13:14:57 EST
I'm getting excited for Season 5, now less than a month out. I might actually get to see it before the world collapses. Anyway, Amos is my favorite character (from a cast of really good characters) and while I don't agree 100% with this analysis, I think it mostly tracks. https://youtu.be/ZzgP6i4knhE #theexpanse #scifi #television
The Most Complex Character in Science Fiction
blacksam: Watching The Expanse again, it occurred to me, shouldn't the comm laser on the Nauvoo/Behemoth be on the back of the ship, not the front. I assume the point is to communicate with Earth, which the ship would be pointing directly away from on its intended route. No? #theexpanse #scifi #lasers #pewpew
blacksam's status on Wednesday, 21-Oct-2020 17:44:39 EDT
Watching The Expanse again, it occurred to me, shouldn't the comm laser on the Nauvoo/Behemoth be on the back of the ship, not the front. I assume the point is to communicate with Earth, which the ship would be pointing directly away from on its intended route. No? #theexpanse #scifi #lasers #pewpew
blacksam: I'm re-watching The Expanse, in part because the new season is coming out in December, in part because there's not much new out right now that appeals to me, and in part because I never really tire of watching it (this is perhaps my 4th run-through). One character I really love, and I'm sad will (probably) not be back is Prax Meng. His relationship with Amos is one of my favorite in the series. #theexpanse #jamessacorey #scifi
blacksam's status on Monday, 19-Oct-2020 18:30:15 EDT
I'm re-watching The Expanse, in part because the new season is coming out in December, in part because there's not much new out right now that appeals to me, and in part because I never really tire of watching it (this is perhaps my 4th run-through). One character I really love, and I'm sad will (probably) not be back is Prax Meng. His relationship with Amos is one of my favorite in the series. #theexpanse #jamessacorey #scifi
blacksam: I watched Terminator: Dark Fate. Arnold plays the last Cyberdyne/Skynet terminator, who after successfully killing John Connor, I shit you not, becomes an interior decorator named Carl. #terminator #scifi #jamescameron #carl
blacksam's status on Thursday, 15-Oct-2020 18:55:03 EDT
I watched Terminator: Dark Fate. Arnold plays the last Cyberdyne/Skynet terminator, who after successfully killing John Connor, I shit you not, becomes an interior decorator named Carl. #terminator #scifi #jamescameron #carl
blacksam: I've been waiting for this for a long time. I liked season 4, but in a lot of ways it was just moving pieces around the board. This one should be pretty big, and should have a lot of good character moments. https://youtu.be/uFajKH9RK0k #theexpanse #scifi #jamessacorey
blacksam's status on Friday, 09-Oct-2020 08:54:45 EDT
I've been waiting for this for a long time. I liked season 4, but in a lot of ways it was just moving pieces around the board. This one should be pretty big, and should have a lot of good character moments. https://youtu.be/uFajKH9RK0k #theexpanse #scifi #jamessacorey
The Expanse: Season 5 - Official Trailer (2020) Steven Strait, Dominique Tipper | NYCC 2020
blacksam: I just finished Axiom's End by Lindsay Ellis. It's not a fantastically well written book (but that's OK, I love a lot of books that aren't exactly literature), and I almost gave up on it as the story wasn't grabbing me. However, about 1/3rd of the way through, the story reached an inflection point and suddenly became really interesting. I'm glad I finished it. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but the ending made me feel something, which is what good fiction does. Also, the book literally rickrolled me. That was a first. #axiomsend #lindsayellis #scifi #fiction #books
blacksam's status on Friday, 07-Aug-2020 20:50:12 EDT
I just finished Axiom's End by Lindsay Ellis. It's not a fantastically well written book (but that's OK, I love a lot of books that aren't exactly literature), and I almost gave up on it as the story wasn't grabbing me. However, about 1/3rd of the way through, the story reached an inflection point and suddenly became really interesting. I'm glad I finished it. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but the ending made me feel something, which is what good fiction does. Also, the book literally rickrolled me. That was a first. #axiomsend #lindsayellis #scifi #fiction #books
blacksam: I've been reading Lindsay Ellis' new book, Axiom's End, and this happened... #lindsayellis #axiomsend #scifi #fiction #novel #bettercallsaul
blacksam's status on Friday, 07-Aug-2020 08:15:57 EDT
I've been reading Lindsay Ellis' new book, Axiom's End, and this happened... #lindsayellis #axiomsend #scifi #fiction #novel #bettercallsaul
blacksam: Season 1 of Counterpart is one of the best television shows I've watched this year. 7.5/10 #counterpart #coldwar #spy #thriller #scifi #jksimmons
blacksam's status on Wednesday, 29-Jul-2020 20:24:03 EDT
Season 1 of Counterpart is one of the best television shows I've watched this year. 7.5/10 #counterpart #coldwar #spy #thriller #scifi #jksimmons
blacksam: The Old Guard was a passable action film. Charlize Theron has definitely perfected the "looking emotionally scarred" thing. #theoldguard #scifi #action #movies #film #netflix
blacksam's status on Tuesday, 14-Jul-2020 18:52:12 EDT
The Old Guard was a passable action film. Charlize Theron has definitely perfected the "looking emotionally scarred" thing. #theoldguard #scifi #action #movies #film #netflix
blacksam: The second season finale of Future Man is honestly one of the best pieces of television I've seen in a long time. #futureman #scifi #comedy #timetravel #hulu
blacksam's status on Friday, 01-May-2020 22:03:04 EDT
The second season finale of Future Man is honestly one of the best pieces of television I've seen in a long time. #futureman #scifi #comedy #timetravel #hulu
strypey: Just watched the first episode of a #UK #SciFi series called #TheFeed. Imagine a whole series based off that episode of #BlackMirror where everyone has a chip recording their memories, and giving them a #HUD they can control with their thoughts. The characters are well written and the performances are natural and engaging. I'm intrigued enough to keep watching.
strypey's status on Wednesday, 01-Apr-2020 09:20:24 EDT
Just watched the first episode of a #UK #SciFi series called #TheFeed. Imagine a whole series based off that episode of #BlackMirror where everyone has a chip recording their memories, and giving them a #HUD they can control with their thoughts. The characters are well written and the performances are natural and engaging. I'm intrigued enough to keep watching.
strypey: "Between the feeling of individual failure and the conspicuous display of national prosperity lies an unbridgeable chasm. The result is a division of the population into two extremes: one side rebels against the government reflexively (sometimes without knowing what its 'cause' is) and trusts nothing it says; the other side retreats into nationalism to give itself the sense of mastering its own fate." - #ChenQuifan, 'The Torn Generation', published in the 'Invisible Planets' #SciFi anthology
strypey's status on Monday, 23-Mar-2020 22:42:47 EDT
"Between the feeling of individual failure and the conspicuous display of national prosperity lies an unbridgeable chasm. The result is a division of the population into two extremes: one side rebels against the government reflexively (sometimes without knowing what its 'cause' is) and trusts nothing it says; the other side retreats into nationalism to give itself the sense of mastering its own fate." - #ChenQuifan, 'The Torn Generation', published in the 'Invisible Planets' #SciFi anthology
blacksam: I watched the first two episodes of Devs last night. It smells a lot like Ex-Machina, which I've tried several times to watch, but I could never finish because it gets on my nerves. Apparently Alex Garland still thinks that groundbreaking innovations come from eccentric billionaires obsessed with unconventional architecture. However, I like Nick Offerman a lot and I've never seen him in a dramatic role, so I'm giving it a chance. It's interesting so far, but I feel like at any moment something could happen that makes my eyes roll so hard that I turn it off. We'll see. #devs #alexgarland #nickofferman #tv #scifi
blacksam's status on Friday, 06-Mar-2020 13:11:28 EST
I watched the first two episodes of Devs last night. It smells a lot like Ex-Machina, which I've tried several times to watch, but I could never finish because it gets on my nerves. Apparently Alex Garland still thinks that groundbreaking innovations come from eccentric billionaires obsessed with unconventional architecture. However, I like Nick Offerman a lot and I've never seen him in a dramatic role, so I'm giving it a chance. It's interesting so far, but I feel like at any moment something could happen that makes my eyes roll so hard that I turn it off. We'll see. #devs #alexgarland #nickofferman #tv #scifi
blacksam: I started reading Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie. The main character's native language doesn't have gendered pronouns, and although they're fluent in languages that do, they apparently also have trouble discerning people's gender. As a result, they refer to everyone using feminine pronouns. I'm not sure if there's an ultimate purpose to this in the story, or if it's just an authorial flourish. For a while now, I've said the best solution to the "preferred pronouns" quagmire is to switch to using a single set of neutral pronouns for everyone, reasoning that in most communication, the subject's gender is irrelevant, and in corner cases there are other ways to denote it. However, I must say that when reading a book where this is effectively the practice (and the author's also not big on physical descriptions) it's confusing as fuck. (This is compounded slightly by the fact that other characters in the book don't share the POV's gender-blindness and do use gendered pronouns, so sometimes a single person is referred to as both "he" and "she" in the same conversation.) I guess ultimately the characters' genders don't matter to the story. Perhaps this is the point the author's trying to make. However, my gender-habituated brain has a hard time forming a mental model of the characters without this information. It makes it a frustrating read, as I'm constantly distracted by the dissonance. So, maybe my idea about pronouns is a bad one. Or maybe it just falls down in circumstances like this. Or maybe the author is just being a pain in the ass. I have no conclusions. #annleckie #scifi #gender #language
blacksam's status on Friday, 06-Mar-2020 09:37:15 EST
I started reading Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie. The main character's native language doesn't have gendered pronouns, and although they're fluent in languages that do, they apparently also have trouble discerning people's gender. As a result, they refer to everyone using feminine pronouns. I'm not sure if there's an ultimate purpose to this in the story, or if it's just an authorial flourish. For a while now, I've said the best solution to the "preferred pronouns" quagmire is to switch to using a single set of neutral pronouns for everyone, reasoning that in most communication, the subject's gender is irrelevant, and in corner cases there are other ways to denote it. However, I must say that when reading a book where this is effectively the practice (and the author's also not big on physical descriptions) it's confusing as fuck. (This is compounded slightly by the fact that other characters in the book don't share the POV's gender-blindness and do use gendered pronouns, so sometimes a single person is referred to as both "he" and "she" in the same conversation.) I guess ultimately the characters' genders don't matter to the story. Perhaps this is the point the author's trying to make. However, my gender-habituated brain has a hard time forming a mental model of the characters without this information. It makes it a frustrating read, as I'm constantly distracted by the dissonance. So, maybe my idea about pronouns is a bad one. Or maybe it just falls down in circumstances like this. Or maybe the author is just being a pain in the ass. I have no conclusions. #annleckie #scifi #gender #language
blacksam: Did Altered Carbon go off-book this season? The writing seems a lot less smart. #alteredcarbon #scifi #netflix
blacksam's status on Tuesday, 03-Mar-2020 08:13:29 EST
Did Altered Carbon go off-book this season? The writing seems a lot less smart. #alteredcarbon #scifi #netflix