/* ** ************************************************************************* ** ************************************************************************* ** The Non-Sequitur Express ** Written, edited and published by Phillip Thorne (now with cookies). ** Volume 4, Issue 10: Tuesday, 31 December 2002. ** Previous issue: Wednesday, 11 December 2002. ** Next issue: Next year. ** http://nsx.underbase.org/ ** ** "Perishables such as lunch meats, cheeses, and giblets ** pose potential health risks, and therefore do not make ** good decorative items." ** --From _The Worst Case Survival Handbook: Holidays_ ** (Joshua Piven and David Borgenicht) ** ************************************************************************* ** ************************************************************************* */ OBS & COGS: Happy Holidays! Philcon 2002 panels, slide shows and demos: CON REVIEW: "Now that we have the magic of CGI" CON REVIEW: "Does future history repeat itself?" CON REVIEW: "Creating aliens" CON REVIEW: Art track: "The Galactic Geographic" Artist demo: Donato Giancola "John Berkey: Grand master of SF art" CON REVIEW: Animation track: "Why the explosion of science fiction cartoons?" "The influence of Japanese culture on American science fiction" "Remembering a few of your favorite scenes" "Exploring history, myth and culture through the lens of Japanese animation" "Science fiction cartoons and why we love them" UPCOMING TV: "Farscape" and "SG1" return to SFC. plus Legalese, acknowledgements and opt-in/out instructions. http://nsx.underbase.org/ - back issues http://nsx.underbase.org/index_plus.htm - synopses, reviews, analyses, etc. mailto://nsx-discuss-l@underbase.org - post on this issue (if subscribed) http://www.underbase.org/ - additional databases /* *************************************************************************** ** OBSERVATIONS & COGITATIONS ** ************************************************************************ */ Happy Holiday Stress to all my readers! This section intentionally left blank, because I'm too disorganized to quickly find all the short passages I've been composing for it, and because I'm too rushed to find them slowly. It's New Year's Eve, and I've got other things to do... like writing narrative verse to accompany stop-motion animation. Fear not, the thoughtful-but-self-indulgent (and, to some of you, rambling) shorts will return next issue, next volume, next year. /* *************************************************************************** ** CONVENTION REVIEW: Philcon 2002 ** ** "Meet the Pros" ** f-13-dec-20:00, Salon K, reception ** ************************************************************************ */ Each year, Philcon organizes a Friday-night hotel-catered reception for fans to meet SF professionals (authors, artists) -- though it takes an assertive fan to pry the pros loose from their own conversations. The spread included cut vegetables, bread, and dips; fruit and fondue; fancy pastries and two Noel logs; fruit punch and a cash bar. Esther Friesner's Slayer and Vampire gingerbread cookies were a big hit, if a bit stale. Kimberly Ann Kindya had just discovered "Stargate Infinity", mid-season (I was able to explain the premise), was disappointed no one else had yet seen "Star Trek Nemesis" [which opened that day], and quickly vanished into a conversation with Trek authors Josepha Sherman and Susan M. Shwartz. Wearing my Quasar Pens, I met a fellow fan of blinking accessories, sporting a watch with EL- equipped wristband. I was able to speak for several minutes with Robert Metzger, author of _Picoverse_ (see Issue 4.8). He dropped teasers for his next book, which will feature the Sun adapted into a rocket engine to propel the entire system to Alpha Centauri, where 200 planets are already resident in artificially-maintained orbits. I suggested that he provide a Dramatis Personae list (as a service to readers who get confused when given more than five characters); he explained that it's almost an admission of failure that the author hasn't created adequately-distinguishable characters, and it's tricky to avoid spoilers. /* *************************************************************************** ** CONVENTION REVIEW: Philcon 2002 ** ** "Now that we have the magic of CGI" ** z-14-dec-12:00, Room 404, panel ** Jack L. Chalker, Leigh Grossman, Andre Levin, Lawrence M. Schoen, ** Roman Ranieri ** ************************************************************************ */ Given my volunteering schedule, this was one of several panels I witnessed only in part -- I was on my way from the Staff Den to the Green Room, soon to hoist many heavy sacks of soda. During my twenty minutes of witness, the discussion circled the topic, "CGI is still imperfect for rendering convincing humans, and when hybridized with live action" (completely boring for one of my expertise) rather than the more interesting, "CGI would be suitable for the following books". "CGI", in this context, means "photorealistic 3D animation", as opposed to other forms of digital imaging, such as effects (water, fire) or static architectural enhancements -- modes in which it appears nowadays, often and transparently, outside SF. ("Twelve Monkeys" artificially aged Center City Philadelphia this way.) (The obvious solution to this shortcoming is to use CGI for everything that the audience *can't* recognize, and for effects that are impractical given conventional 2D techniques. Greg Bear's novel _Eon_, for instance: it has limited internal dialogue, so is a good candidate for film. The settings include biosphere chambers carved inside an asteroid, cylinders 50-km wide and 30-km long: I challenge any 2D artist to accurately figure the atmospheric and perspective effects of that environment.) /* *************************************************************************** ** CONVENTION REVIEW: Philcon 2002 ** ** "Does future history repeat itself?" ** z-14-dec-15:00, Salon K, panel ** LR: Andre Levin, Leigh Grossman, Alexandra Elizabeth Honigsberg, ** Yoji Kondo, Jack McDevitt ** ************************************************************************ */ As described in the program book, this panel was to address the question of, "Why, despite their impracticability, do interstellar empires recur in SF?" As do many panels, however, the topic quickly drifted and gained inertia, like a snowball rolling down the wrong side of a strange attractor. The five presenters got stuck in the basin of, "Are prosperous technological societies inevitably democracies?" Levin (apparently a historian) noted in passing that our knowledge of ancient Greek so-called democracy is based on the writings of only one city-state, Athens, and that from the POV of a minority. Mention of women and slaves is almost wholly absent. /* *************************************************************************** ** CONVENTION REVIEW: Philcon 2002 ** ** "Creating aliens" ** s-15-dec-12:00, Room 402, panel ** LR?: Robert A. Metzger, Judith Berman, Jennifer Barlow, John Norman, ** Severna Park ** ************************************************************************ */ Arriving late at this panel, I dropped into the middle of a debate on how to justify alien species with more than two sexes. It then segued past the incomprehensibility of poetry written in scent-code, the need for common language to resolve trade disputes (you can perform blind trades without it, but just wait till a shipment is lost), and how alien behavior will inevitably be interpreted according to familiar categories. Plus, the fact that archeological artifacts of unknown purpose are always classified by museums as "ceremonial". /* *************************************************************************** ** CONVENTION REVIEW: Philcon 2002 ** Art Track ** ** "The Galactic Geographic" ** f-13-dec-19:00, Room 407, digital promotional slide show ** Artist: Karl Kofoed ** ** Artist demo: Donato Giancola ** f-13-dec-20:00, Room 407, painting demo ** Donato Giancola ** ** "John Berkey: Grand master of SF art" ** s-15-dec-13:00, Room 402, slide show ** Jane Frank ** ************************************************************************ */ Some years ago, pro SF artist Karl Kofoed decided to create a coffee- table art book that seemed totally normal, until intrigued mundanes [non-SF fans] looked closer and realized it was from the future. Hence, the _Galactic Geographic 3003 Annual_, a compendium of the best work from a future magazine. Kofoed's been providing images of alien worlds to the magazine _Heavy Metal_ for twenty years; he's recycled those, with improved text. He adds several new full-size articles on worlds and aliens (all of them very non-humanoid), plus advertisements (with facsimiles of "direct response" hyperlinks) and editorials. Some of the paintings are meant-to-be-photos, others are interpretative sketches by each article's fictional contributors; and a few incorporate 20cen photos, and hence look decidedly odd. Because Kofoed submitted the entire book to publisher Paper Tiger (on nine CD- ROMs), he earns the fees for the entire design team. If the book sells well, he may invite other artists to contribute to subsequent volumes. (The concept of "art provides impressions photos cannot" is also the basis/justification of Wayne Douglas Barlowe's 1990 _Expedition_. Collaborative planet-building and -illustrating is a venerable SF tradition, including the "Thraxisp" project which Larry Niven describes in _Playgrounds of the Mind_, the more successful 1993 project "Epona", and a 1997 website based on the _Starshield Sentinels_ novel series by Hicks and Weisman.) [ http://users.rcn.com/kkofoed/newGGpage/info.html -- K.Kofoed homepage ] [ http://www.asfa-art.org -- ASFA ] [ http://www.eponaproject.com/ -- Epona worldbuilding project ] *** Donato Giancola is a talented photorealist painter (excelling in skin tones and metallic textures), a multiple winner in the 2002 Chesley Awards [administered by ASFA, the Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists], and a friendly guy. I arrived late at this two-hour demo, from the "Meet the Pros" reception, and couldn't make much use of the tips, since I'm not a painter -- but there were over a dozen other young artists paying close attention. Among his tips: Exagerrate skin tones for effect. Use an undercoat of drying compound to ensure the entire painting dries at the same rate (left alone, different oil colors *don't*). You can pivot-mount a ruler-like stick on your easel, to swing across the painting and provide a rest for your dominant hand. Any artist supply or service you need can be found in New York City. [ http://www.donatoart.com/ -- D.Giancola's homepage ] *** John Berkey is a veteran illustrator of wide talents, but in the SF field he's known for his instantly-recognizable spaceships: huge white ovoids, tiered and spangled with antennae, splashed with tiny accents of color. Many of the slideshow's attendees own the Berkey art collection _Painted Space_ (Friedlander Publishing, 1991), but presenter Jane Frank is writing a new book (to be published by Paper Tiger) which provides a wider examination of his oeuvre, including his midwestern landscapes and private abstract works. As she plowed through fifty slides, Frank revealed that Berkey never leaves Minnesota, loves tinkering with non-computer electronics, and works exclusively in pigments (casein and acrylic, no digital). Most of his works are fairly small, around 18- by 24-inches. His studio is equipped with an arrangement of mirrors which permit him to simultaneously compose for near and far. /* *************************************************************************** ** CONVENTION REVIEW: Philcon 2002 ** Animation Track ** ** "Why the explosion of science fiction cartoons?" ** z-14-dec-10:00, Salon I, panel ** LR: Ernest Lilley, Michael Vatrella, Walter Amos, Danielle McPhial, ** Jagi Lampwright(f) ** ** animé 1: "The influence of Japanese culture on American science fiction" ** z-14-dec-11:00, Salon I, panel ** LR: Walter Amos, David Wilson, Amy Howard Wilson, Brian Price, Yoji Kondo ** ** animé 2: "Remembering a few of your favorite scenes" ** z-14-dec-14:00, Salon I, video clips ** Walter Amos, Robert Fenelon, Brian Price, Amy Howard Wilson, David Wilson ** ** animé 4: "Exploring history, myth and culture through the lens ** of Japanese animation" ** s-15-dec-11:00, Room 401, panel ** LR: Robert Fenelon, Walter Amos, David Wilson, Amy Howard Wilson, ** Brian Price, Catherine Asaro ** ** "Science fiction cartoons and why we love them" ** s-15-dec-15:00, Room 401, panel ** LR: Robert Fenelon, Rebecca Marcus, Brian Price, Kimberly Ann Kindya ** ************************************************************************ */ The first panel attempted to address the questions of, "Why SF cartoons, why now, and why their particular irreverent style?", then admitted that the premise is totally subjective and unstatistical. One adorable seven-year-old girl opined that "Invader Zim is the bomb". Jagi Lampwright (that's a female name) explained that, in her younger days, she and her friends had been so impressed by the uniformity of shopping malls that they almost believed, if one took the correct turn, one could exit to any other mall in the nation -- prompting audience member Brian Price (see later panels) to propose a new panel topic, "Strip Malls: TARDIS or Tessaract?" *** The "animé 2" session featured exemplar video clips selected by the presenters. Brian Price provided several clips from "Macross Plus", featuring in turn: mecha action; characterization; and the artists' conception of a future pop concert, complete with AI performer, hallucinatory immersive holograms, and mood-enhancing/monitoring wristbands. (The OAV was scored by the acclaimed and eclectic female composer Yoko Kanno, whose style was summarized by one attendee thusly: "Of course it's her music! It's like nothing she's ever done before.") "Legend of Galactic Heroes" (LoGH) is a sprawling dramatic war epic with very subtle characterization. Walter Amos chose a clip which resolves the clumsy love triangle between two best friends and the woman they both love; much of it in dialogue-silence, with only the "acting" visible. (LoGH was based, unusually for animé, on a series of novels, and its soundtrack was exclusively classical. It was sold by subscription in Japan, and is currently available only in the US as fansub VHS; though the studio is considering evaluating US interest in a DVD edition. See www.logh.net.) Robert Fenelon brought clips from "Spirited Away" (presumably a fansub), "Dragon Century" (a series in which dragons arrive on Earth to save us from evil soul-eaters, not that we realize or appreciate their aid), and a couple of kiddie shows. The first featured battling mecha and a baby dragon, which he described thusly: "Any of you play 'Magic?' The Dragon Whelp card, what happens when you push too much Red Manna through it?" A very scorched villain, that's what... The second featured a girl who accidentally discovers, and is saved by, an alien robot bodyguard in a shrine, then has to explain (John Connor and "Terminator"-style) why killing the school bullies is a bad idea. *** The "animé 4" panel provided much insightful cultural background on Japan. For instance: The leader of so many formulaic team ("sentai") shows -- the androgynously-attractive, fearsomely competent young man -- is based on an archetype from 14cen ?? Japanese: one Yoshitsune Minamoto, a successful 14-year-old general. He's so fundamental a part of Japanese history that his exploits have never been animated, and have appeared in live film only from the POV of his comic sidekick, the hulking warrior-monk Benki. The panel lamented the lack of an equivalent to ABC?? "Schoolhouse Rock" educational shorts -- then feared that any such would mutate into the "South Park" musical number, "What would Brian Boitano do?" (o/"Brian Boitano built the pyramids, while fighting off the Huns...o/") Minamoto segues to the Miyazaki film "Princess Mononoke", which juxtaposes three eras: the character San, representing the prehistoric Ainu, with a bone blade and a mask based on the oldest statue found in the islands; Ashitaka, prince of the last remnant of the Emishi clan, pushed north by Minamoto; and Lady Eboshi (named after her hat) of the ironworks. Illustrating the attitudinal differences between East and West, Minamoto's famous sword bore the prosaic name /Kusanagi/: "Grass Cutter". Japan's warrior upper crust recited their resumes before battle, selected suitors by their calligraphy; and was totally outmatched when the /gaijin/ Westerners arrived. Rob Fenelon further noted that the armies of the Italian city-states suffered exactly the same fate when meeting France and Austria. The comic book _Usagi Yojimbo_ ("Rabbit Bodyguard") was recommended as an excellent introduction to Japanese history, despite populating the country with anthropomorphic animals ("furries"). (See also: Larry Gonick's _Cartoon History of the Universe_.) Fanciful portrayals of ninjas (now called /shinobi/) were illustrated with clips from a "Lupin III" movie, and a 1960s cartoon. (I forget the title, but it was only the second Japanese series animated in color, featured a young ninja versus "Oni Hime" ("Demon Princess"), and had more fluid animation that many of today's products.) The final example was the opening minutes of the Studio Ghibli film "Pon Poko", which chronicles the troubles of a tribe of tanuki (a native canid, notable in Japanese mythology) as 1960s industrial Japan encroaches on the ancient forests. Tanuki are shapeshifters, and their magic is based in their, ahem, testicles. (--A definite challenge should Disney ever attempt to adapt the film as part of their Ghibli import package.) *** "Science fiction cartoons and why we love them" was in the last panel timeslot, and was the one I'd been waiting for all weekend. Two years ago, due to the fortuitous placement of a flipchart and markers, I provided impromptu realtime illustration of the panel's conversation. This year, I repeated the service -- and at Kimberly Ann Kindya's request, once I'd reminded her of it. The panelists (and presumably audience) were very impressed, taking home signed flipchart pages. They were also appalled that I could recite the entire history of "Transformers" TV series. (Please, don't be; I can't, after all, name the individual *episodes*.) The conversation wandered across the following topics: The irony of "Johnny Quest's" Race Bannon being voted Best Cartoon Mom. How pre- 80s cartoons did not take prisoners. The parallels between "G.I.Joe" and today's slippery Al-Qaeda (except the latter isn't so overconfident as to build giant pyramidal HQs topped with their logo). How in Japan, comics evolved from respected /ukiyo-e/ woodblock prints, while in the US, they had no redeeming social value. How "Transformers Armada" has evolved into "Pokémon". Brian Price brought clips of the 80s series "Galaxy Rangers", "Galaxy High" (created by Chris Columbus, later to do "Harry Potter"), and "Mighty Orbots" (featuring Lensman-scale weapons and an evil computer housed in a Dyson sphere). As a bonus, there was a clip of the "Invader Zim Christmas Special" (which aired that past Tuesday, 10-dec). "Christmas, 1938, Nuremburg..." Price describes the scene, before the clip launched into a musical number: o/"Obey, obey, obey the will of Santa Or be crushed, by his jolly boots of doom... o/" /* *************************************************************************** ** UPCOMING TELEVISION ** ** New eps of "Farscape" and "Stargate SG-1" start fri-10-jan-2003. ** SFC's "Dream Team" interprets your dreams. ** *********************************************************************** */ ::: A. News ::: After avoiding the fall broadcast rush, the Sci Fi Channel (SFC) returns with new episodes of its flagship original series, "Farscape" (season 4) and "Stargate SG-1" (s6). They start fri-10-jan-2003, at 20:00 and 21:00 respectively (with encores at 24:00 and 23:00). SFC premieres its "Dream Team with Annabelle and Michael" on mon-20- jan-23:00. It's another talk show in the vein of "John Edward", but whether it will exhibit the same degree of exploitatively fuzzy-minded mumbo-jumbo I can't say. I'm intrigued, because of my own long experience with weird-but-entertaining dreams -- but they might not be sufficiently titillating for this show, and its "voyeuristic look at our innermost thoughts, emotions and sexual feelings, in a psychological code that interpreter Michael Lennox deciphers with edgy humor and deep insight." Me, I'm sure-as-heck not submitting any transcript that reveals *my* "innermost thoughts", fifteen minutes of fame or not. On the other hand, Lennox might find something profoundly unexpected in my recurring rewrites of "The Transformers: The Movie". [ http://www.scifi.com/dreamteam/ ] ::: B. Specific programming ::: Date Time Dur Channel Title ======== ===== ==== =========== ================================== f-03-jan 18:00 60 sfc Farscape 409: "A Prefect Murder" f-03-jan 19:00 60 sfc Farscape 410: "Coup By Clam" f-03-jan 20:00 60 sfc Farscape 411: "Unrealized Reality" f-03-jan 21:00 60 sfc SG1 611: "Prometheus, pt.1" f-03-jan 22:00 60 sfc SG1 609: "Allegiance" f-03-jan 23:00 60 sfc SG1 611: "Prometheus, pt.1" f-03-jan 24:00 60 sfc SG1 610: "The Cure" f-03-jan 25:00 60 sfc SG1 609: "Allegiance" m-06-jan 19:00 60 sfc SG1 303: "Fair Game" m-06-jan 20:00 60 sfc SG1 304: "Legacy" m-06-jan 21:00 60 sfc SG1 305: "Learning Curve" m-06-jan 22:00 60 sfc SG1 306: "Point of View" m-06-jan 25:00 60 sfc SG1 303: "Fair Game" f-10-jan 20:00 60 sfc Farscape 412: "Kansas" f-10-jan 21:00 60 sfc SG1 612: "Unnatural Selection, pt.2" f-10-jan 23:00 60 sfc SG1 612: "Unnatural Selection, pt.2" f-10-jan 24:00 60 sfc Farscape 412: "Kansas" ======== ===== ==== =========== ================================== ::: D. TV listings websites ::: [ http://www.nick.com/all_nick/tv_shows/tv_schedule.jhtml -- Nickelodeon ] [ http://www.scifi.com/schedulebot/ -- Sci Fi Channel ] [ http://schedule.cartoonnetwork.com/servlet/ScheduleServlet?action=selectDay -- Cartoon Network ] /* ************************************************************************ ** Legalese ** Acknowledgments ** Opt-in/out Instructions ** *********************************************************************** */ The original content (layout, text) of this newsletter is copyright 2002 Phillip Thorne. Reproduction in whole or in part is permitted only as per applicable copyright law, if all copyright notices remain intact, and if citation trails (URLs or otherwise) are provided. That said, if you think colleagues would find an issue useful, please reproduce it -- but also suggest they subscribe. Those creative works (books, films, TV, websites, software, toys, etc.) referred-to (reviewed, synopsized, quoted, condensed, analyzed, etc.) herein are the property of their respective owners, are referred-to according to copyright law as interpreted in the U.S., and are cited whenever possible. No (endorsement, infringement, insult) is (expressed, implied, intended), except where specifically stated. In this issue, certain data (possibly not separately acknowledged) have been obtained, aggregated and synthesized from: Assoc. of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists asfa-art.org Philcon SF convention philcon.org The Sci Fi Channel scifi.com Current TV episode guides tvtome.com If you're receiving this newsletter, you've probably intentionally subscribed to it, or possibly you're interested in special topical coverage, or maybe I've sent you a teaser issue. To subscribe and unsubscribe, use the addresses below: Publisher: nsx@underbase.org (human) Newsletter: nsx-l@underbase.org (automated system) nsx-l-subscribe (to subscribe; blank subject) nsx-l-unsubscribe (to unsubscribe) Discussion list: nsx-discuss-l@underbase.org nsx-discuss-l-subscribe (to subscribe; blank subject) nsx-discuss-l (to post) nsx-discuss-l-unsubscribe (to unsubscribe) /* *************************************************************************** ** *************************************************************************** ** The Non-Sequitur Express ** http://nsx.underbase.org/ ** Volume 4, Issue 10: Tuesday, 31 December 2002 ** Copyright 1999-2002 Phillip Thorne, nsx@underbase.org ** *************************************************************************** ** ************************************************************************ */