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In With The Gays

Cal and I are totally in with The Gays right now!
NZ’s foremost LGBT magazine, the giveaway Express, included a profile of us as part of a bigger feature on Civil Unions, four years after they went into law. We look very hot in Paddy’s photo and it’s a nice big feature where I hope we didn’t say anything too stupid. But you can see for yourself:
Pop that scanned image up!
The Express is a giveaway but it isn’t exactly easy to find. Snag one if you see one…

Dollhouse Ep 5 (No spoilers)

[Stupid cold. Didn’t even feel up to blogging. Bleah. I’m going back into work today at least.]
This was an interesting episode in lotsa ways. The A-plot took advantage of the sci-fi premise for once, and it provided a heck of a ride with great reversals coming in to mark every ad break cliffhanger, but by the end it just felt too shallow – like in the writers’ room they’d satisfied themselves with coming up with all the plot twists and forgot to layer in some actual plot underneath it. Lots of sound and fury. But not to be too harsh – the plot they indicated (if not explored) was fairly interesting. (Best thing about this storyline wasn’t even in the storyline, it was the reaction from Dollhouse staffer Detective Kellerman, and how Ms. Williams responded to that reaction.)
The B-plot, back in the Dollhouse with Topher and the Doctor, fell completely flat. It was entirely exposition; there was, throughout the whole episode, not a single moment where the B-plot characters had to make any decision whatsoever. Very weird; presumably more pipe-laying for the future. The C-plot, with the FBI agent, was much the same- nothing much going on there.
Next week is the much-ballyhooed switch-up episode. I’m ready for some payoff now plzkthx.
Aside: I’ve noticed a bit of backlash at the actor playing Topher, along the lines of “he’s playing this guy like he’s a nice friendly Xander, but he’s an abusive douche! He should be a better actor so that comes across!” These critics are in the Do Not Get It camp as far as I can see. The character is indeed an abusive douche, and yes he is being played precisely as a nice friendly Xander or a nice friendly Wash. That is the whole point of his character, and it’s obviously intended as a signal to the viewer about how to read the whole show. (Whether the rest of the show follows through on this remains to be seen. Next week!)

Environment Programmes Chopped

So the new government, further endearing itself to the letter-writing Ayn Randians in the audience, has announced major cuts in the Environment Ministry. Initially signalled at being about two dozen jobs gone, but at a meeting of Ministry staff yesterday the message was that up to 86 of the 300 staff would go.
That translates to major cuts to enviro programmes, particularly public recycling bins and a support and advice service for households becoming enviro-friendly. A political point is being made in publicaly repudiating the Labout government initiative to makethe public service move towards carbon neutrality; Nick Smith said “I’ve heard awful stories of senior public servants … spending an hour on how they might reorganise their rubbish.” Well, Nick, those guys must have been morons because I had a desk in the public service when that change came in and the extra demand it placed on workers was about the same as asking people to clean up after themselves when they used the staff kitchen. It was a non-issue in terms of productivity, but it was really important as a proof-of-concept that simple changes in an institution could have big consequences for the enviro footprint. Axing this programme is just petty.
But what scares me the most is this: Prime Minister John Key said yesterday that the Government had its own plans for home insulation and the ministry’s scheme did not fit within that.
Somehow I think this home insulation plan is not going to help NZ improve its shockingly poor housing stock. A huge chunk of NZ’s energy use, and hence its carbon footprint and Kyoto costs, comes from home heating; our housing stock has suffered from decades of poor regulation that means it costs a huge amount to keep an internal temperature at a healthy level. This is a really important issue in terms of health and environment both, and I can’t see any solution springing from the Nat cabinet that will deliver the kind of change we need.
Overall, things do not look promising for us, environment-wise. How unfortunate that our major trading partners finally start getting their acts together in this area just as we start to tear up the work we’ve already done.

Dollhouse Ep 4 (no spoilers)

Just so y’all know I’m still watching – yeah, this is still earning its way with me as a first act. There was some fun stuff here, and for once the A-plot about the engagement was closely tied into the B-plot about activity at and around the Dollhouse itself. This episode’s instalment of the investigating-cop subplot was a big waste of time though; they’re really struggling to find excuses to put him in the episodes at present. Guys, just leave him out until a proper storyline comes along for him.
All over the net there’s backlash about how “wait for episode 6” is part of the mantra around this show. Sure, there’s some merit to being cynical about aspects of that message, but I don’t see that I’ve got much to lose by finding out if it’s right.
Either way, Dollhouse is going down in history as one of the most unusual show concepts ever. No sympathetic characters and your lead keeps getting her memory wiped? Weirdness. How this thing got greenlit I’ll never know.

Sir John The Unexpected

The National govt., still in their just married phase, have announced that NZ is getting Knighthoods again. In the name of the Queen our worthies will once again be given the titles of Sir and Dame. These will replace the anaemic but functional titles we have had from 2000, Principal/Distinguished Companion of the Order of Merit.
Leaving aside all the reasons why this isn’t a decision I like (see NRT for that), it just strikes me as weird, an odd bit of electioneering when there’s no election coming up. There was no consultation, and no signal that this was coming – nothing I’ve noticed anyway. (My hazy memory is that Labour signalled its intentions to lose the old system a ways in advance, but I don’t remember any consultation then either. Anyone recall?)
Notably, the symbolism of this change sits uneasily with our view of ourselves. Is this the first time since WW2 that we’ve actually taken a step back closer to the Crown, rather than away from it towards our own identity?
I don’t get it. Is it a personal thing for Key, that he wanted to re-establish these symbolic ties with the Queen? What am I missing about this?

Snail Chase on release

My buddy Ed’s movie, The Last Great Snail Chase, is getting a cinema release from this Thursday. It’s screening up in Auckland at the Academy, for two weeks. I previously wrote about seeing the premiere – almost two years ago! – so its exciting that it is stepping out into the world again.
Here’s the main site for the film, the uninformative IMDB page, and the Flicks page with a glowing viewer review.
Not online is the Sunday Star Times newspaper review, which gave it 2 out of 5 stars. Opening ‘graph: “Edward Lynden-Bell’s debut feature as scriptwriter and director feels like a visual thesis for a philosophy course devoted to theosophical and mystical concepts. It’s a peculiar little film…” Closer: “It’s a brave first effort that easly satisfies Lynden-Bell’s desire to make it a film his friends would say ‘Have you seen that f—ing weird film?’ Whether anyone else will see it is debatable.” [Dodgy grammar transcribed faithfully; probably this was savaged by a subeditor.]
I reckon you should go see it if you get a chance. You won’t ever see anything else like it, that’s a promise. It ain’t the greatest film ever, but it is interesting and fun.
Congrats Ed!

Who Watches The Linky?

Some legal free books to download at Suvudu, including Kim Stanley Robinson’s magisterial work of hard SF, Red Mars. Available in .pdf at present, other formats to come.
Everyone’s education into the ridiculous scheme that is the global financial system continues. Three great, fun lessons this week: first, a fun and helpful visualisation of the crisis of credit:

The Crisis of Credit Visualized from Jonathan Jarvis on Vimeo.
Second, the failure of (you guessed it) the U.S. biz media, entertainingly skewered by (you also guessed this bit) Jon Stewart at The Daily Show:

Third, Vanity Fair writes an amazing piece about Iceland, the country that collapsed itself. You’ll be amazed by how much is explained when you hear that Icelandic men like to barge into you in the street.
This month’s MySpace Dark Horse Presents has not one but two stories I commend to your attention:
an exclusive Achewood strip – in colour! And also an exclusive strip by Kate Beaton – in colour! This is the good stuff right here.
If you know of Watchmen, you DO NOT want to miss this: Watchmen as a Saturday Morning Cartoon. So very funny and so very wrong.
I was also gonna linky to the new Ed Brubaker-written Zoe-Bell-starring free web TV Angel of Death, but it seems to have gone from Crackle even though the press release announcing it is still up all over the web. Huh. (Also featuring Lucy Lawless, apparently. Starring two Kiwi actresses then! Heh.)
And finally… somehow this is even creepier than it should be.

Watchmen

Blimey.
It’s actually good.
No, it is. It is crammed full of so much stuff, and it is so faithful to the original, that noticing how the storytelling feels crowded with little beats and not many big ones just reminds you of the perils of an adaptation that is too accurate.
Faithful particularly in the visuals, the framing, the colour palette, etc. – shades of Jackson’s Lord of the RIngs, where even though the story was changed, the map of Middle Earth was held sacrosanct.
Also, about half the film is in slow motion.
Will the uninitiated get it? Dunno. It’s certainly a curiousity. For those who know, however – yeah. This is Watchmen: The Movie, and it is the least bad Watchmen: The Movie possible.
(My favourite bit was the end where the Watchmen team up again to fight the space squid that is trying to destroy New York.)

Muslims *do* say it’s not OK!

The title of this post is facetious, of course. In the West, when an Islamic voice speaks critically, one rhetorical device is frequently employed to neuter this comment: “why don’t they ever put this much effort into condemning the extremism within Islam?”
It’s very prevalent, particularly in the smug brevity of letters to the editor, radio talkback and blog comments, but also in more elaborate form in newspaper columns and so forth. It’s a nasty little trick because it’s taken on the aura of truth for a great many people, taking as self-evident that Islamic voices don’t put much effort into condemning Islamic extremism. And to be quite honest, a surface reading of the culture lends credibility to this claim – you could search a lot of newspapers and TV bulletins before you came across an Islamic voice condemning Islamic extremism.
Of course, the claim is also meritless. The absence speaks more of the limitations of our media and our memory than anything else. The truth is that Muslim grassroots and religious leaders have for many years been energetically condemning violence, denying any religious legitimacy to violent jihad, and working for interfaith community. And finally someone has identified and pulled together these many strands into one short report. The U.S. Institute for Peace has issued a special report, Islamic Peacemaking Since 9/11, which is loaded with evidence that these criticisms are baseless.
I’m glad this report exists, because evidence is helpful in shooting down that claim about Muslims failing to condemn violence in the name of Islam. That claim is actively harmful to peaceful discussion. It takes away any presumption of good faith and presupposes a combative relationship between Islam and “the West” (a.k.a. “civilized people” a.k.a. “me”). Countering it is important, and this report is a key tool for doing so.