Here we are in line for the panel room where I’ll spend my day. I must say that some of the other friendliest folks in sci-fi are here in line with us! Energy and excitement is at fever pitch. I’ve got lots to say about Bear’s concert last night, but I’ll save it for a long post. TGIF GWC!
An intrepid GWCer (whose name we’ll keep secret to protect the guilty) pantsed a camera to slip it by the House of Blues security staff and bring you these photos from the show. Yes, they’re a little shady. But hey: they (note my Chasing Amy pronoun game) weren’t able to pull the camera out much. Photos are good, but not worth getting kicked out over, right?
Just remember that some of those murky blobs are Edward James Olmos (above, left), Katee Sackhoff, etc.
Frak! I just don’t have any idea where to start with coverage of Thursday’s awesome con experience, so we’ll just jump in with the above: the goo monster. Read on for more Thursday photos!
Don’t you just love raffles? D won the above “prop” patch, and she says they gave away lots more — like a “set” of rank pins and an olive-green uniform. Nice!
Bioware is teaming up with Dark Horse Comics to give you a much-needed Mass Effect fix: a four-episode comic book arc titled Mass Effect: Redemption. The arc will span the time between the end of Mass Effect and the beginning of the upcoming Mass Effect 2 and explains the disappearance of Shepard and his fight to survive.
“Fans of Mass Effect are going to be pleasantly shocked by the events in these comics,” says ME lead writer Mac Walters. “We worked very closely with Dark Horse to make sure this story was built into the Mass Effect 2 arc right from the ground up. Reading the series won’t just add to your experience of the universe, it will change the way you look at Mass Effect 2… and beyond.”
Felicia Day’s homegrown (and totally awesome) internet series The Guild recently wrapped filming on its third season, due to release later this summer. Production funds initially came solely from friends and fans and, of course, Ms. Day’s own pocket. But in their best move since releasing Win2k and merging with Nextel, respectively, Microsoft and Sprint now sponsor the show — with the caveat that creative control still rests firmly in the hands of Felicia and her evil minions.
I love virals. Not the type where you feel like crap for a few days, lay in bed, drink fluids, and watch Oprah and reruns of Andy Griffith. I mean the viral videos that leak out before a movie release — the kind that makes a movie you kinda want to see into a movie you really want to see.
Or in this case, a movie you really want to see into a movie that you’re ready to storm the theaters to see. Virals can also give you a great back-story without giving away plot. Read on to see my most recent favorites from District 9 and TR2N!
Whew! Once “preview night” meant that while the vendors were still setting up their booths you could get a look at what they might have to offer later in the ‘con. But over the last few years it’s morphed into a fully-up-and-running swagfest! This is also the first year SDCC has offered preview night panel, which I believe was about three pilots set for fall: V, Human Target, and Vampire Diaries. Wow! While we didn’t attend, I think a GWCer or two might have.
Badge registration went fairly well this year. There must have been twenty people printing badges, and the line moved steadily. I snapped the photo above at about 2:30 p.m. Wednesday — right before we headed over to pick up our badges! — from a good friend’s brother’s condo right across the street from the con, twenty floors up. What an excellent view!
Read on for additional photos and fun from preview night!
Think you bought a copy of Orwell’s 1984 or Animal Farm for your Kindle? Think again. This week in a move that would make George himself say “I told you so,” Amazon remotely deleted copies of these Orwell classics from hundreds of Kindles. Though Amazon credited buyers’ accounts for original purchase price, Kindle owners are rightfully pissed.
Amazon says the move was prompted by their discovery that the publisher offering the digital editions didn’t actually own the rights. Sadly for high-tech book lovers everywhere, though, this kind of mess drives another nail in the coffin of digital book delivery — and serves as yet another skirmish in the on-going war over copyright and digital rights management
Amazon Erases Orwell Books From Kindle [New York Times]
Kindle [Amazon]
In a story that would be right at home in the GWC Forum’s “Life is teh suck today because” thread, NASA reports that one of two toilets in the International Space Station is on the blink. And in accordance with Murphy’s Law, the problem arises right as the ISS plays host to a record number of guests: thirteen, in fact.
And you thought the line at the ballgame was bad.
Sadly, replicators aren’t standard in Earth kitchens. And we don’t live in the Star Wars universe where the only food we see onscreen is a pear flying through the air. Thankfully we’re not forced to choke down algae mash with our algae coffee every morning. But if you’ve ever had a hankering for the food you see in your favorite sci-fi or fantasy series, chances are someone’s come up with a recipe – many of which aren’t much harder to prepare than saying “Tea. Earl Grey. Hot.”
Think sci-fi on TV means just Star Trek? Don’t forget Babylon 5! To me, Babylon 5 shows the real potential of television: long running stories with vast complexities over many seasons. Writer/director J. Michael Straczynski paved the way for shows like Lost, Heroes, Firefly, and our beloved Battlestar Galactica.
Sure, the effects haven’t held up well — though they were cutting edge during production. But the story’s richness and density makes up for that shortcoming. B5 is ultimately a show about survival, relationships, loyalty, friendship, politics, and war. It’s a show about what it means to lose your way and what happens when you subvert your ideals. It’s about the fall from grace and the fight to put justice in its rightful place — powerful themes and ideas.
There’s also a lot of fun and explosions. What’s not to like?
We’re currently re-watching the entire season in community frak parties every Saturday night at 10 p.m. ET. Why not come join us? Right now we’re finishing up the first season — available on Hulu, by the way — and having seen it all before I can tell you that if you jump in now you can follow along easily.
Re-Watch Calendar [GWC Forum]
July 25th’s Frak Party (1×21: The Quality of Mercy) [GWC Forum]
Watch Season 1 & 2 Free [Hulu]
GWCers on Flickr
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