Finished watching some great sci-fi’s

bladerunner

I recently finished watching the whole Battlestar Galactica (new series) 1st season. First thing to say is I can’t wait to catch the 2nd season. As mentioned in my last blog on what I am watching these days… Galactica is looking good.

The whole premise of the human race on the run from relentless and in some cases human-like cylons as a backdrop creates the tension that is not felt in any of the Trek series. Sorry the comparison is unfair as Trek tends to be more wholesome and optimistic. Galactica is a little more pessimistic in nature, but its allusions to the mythical “earth” is intriguing. You see, mankind has been colonising space many millenia from now. It would appear that Earth would be inhabitable forcing humankind to venture forth into space. The memories of earth are then confined into the realm of mythology.

In addition to these undercurrents, we also get an almost Asimovian philosophical debate about what makes humans human… can robots acquire human traits? Some of these questions are similar to those asked in Philip K Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep… or in its’ silver screen version Blade Runner.

The series is very much character driven, with many interesting characters.

This also brings me to another sci-fi flick Serenity which is a follow up to the now defunct TV series, Firefly.

Technology convergence: internet, entertainment & communication

Google has been in the news quite often of late.

One moment, they are swallowing up the public domain book library. Another moment, they are acquiring something or another… but one thing’s for sure Google has made the internet business work through their advertising revenue model. To date, Google is hoarding up a cash pile of more than a few billion dollars.

Yup. They are that successful. So what next for Google? No doubt some sort of buying spree will ensue. Naturally, this has to be something which Google can continue to add value to its business. So what would that be?

I don’t know, but what about an entertainment / media content based business? The success of the iTunes audio and video downloads shows that there is a market. And the recent “agreement” between the bittorrent community and Hollywood, could possible pave a way for commercial film downloads. What about Google and TiVo?

There are more technology news on this website accessible via the world news link at the top menu.

Who are the Japanese singers I listen to?

A friend of mine got into my car and heard some Japanese music playing on my CD player. Who are the singers and why do I listen to them? Do I understand Japanese?

Firstly, the singers I currently listen to are Mayumi Itsuwa (mainly from her Memories album) and Utada Hikaru (only “can you keep a secret?”).

Why do I listen to them and if I understand the language… well my father worked with the foreign service and was once posted to Tokyo for 5 years. I lived with my parents for 2 years before moving to boarding school.

Actually, I enjoyed our time in Tokyo as I got to watch a LOT of anime and found the country quite unique and beautiful. Japan is a country that successfully blends technology and tradition without diluting either. I also learnt to eat tempura which is a good thing. 😉

Sci-fi books & movies

I make no secret that I am a sci-fi geek.

Sadly, I have not been recommended any good sci-fi stuff, given most of my friends and family think I am a geek and do not share any interest in sci-fi. So I have not read any sci-fi books of late – can’t remember the last book I read… *groan*

The Rough Guide to Sci-Fi Movies 1 (Rough Guide Reference)

Cover taken from John Scalzi’s book

Anyway, thought that I should log something I found on the web: I was tinkering with my wordpress website, The Mind of Paloque, and was going through the pre-installed links and found a blog belonging to Ryan Boren. The guy is also a sci-fi geek and posted a blog on John Scalzi’sThe Rough Guide to Sci-Fi Movies 1 (Rough Guide Reference)“. A synopsis from Amazon.com:

Synopsis

The Rough Guide to Sci-Fi Movies is a comprehensive guide to the ‘final frontier’ of film. It explores our fascination with space exploration, time travel, fantastical worlds and alternative futures. This guide explains how everything from the philosophy of Plato to classic Victorian tales and cult comic books have helped to create one of cinema’s most engaging genres. Discover the classics from Mexico, Russia and Japan, not forgetting the Anime science fiction tradition, along with everything else you need to know from Metropolis to Star Wars, via Blade Runner, 2001 and Alien. The Rough Guide to Sci-Fi Movies is your essential guide to a galaxy of film unbounded by time or space.

I think I should read a bit more. Rekindle some sci-fi interest. Do you have anything to share?