A tale of the sea!

Finally woke up to a clear blue sky last morning, so I took advantage of the weather to head out on the semi-open sea. By which I mean, I took a habour trip on the East by West ferry. Ah, the smell of the ocean sea... overwhelmed by the smell of the boat. The fresh sea water... sprayed into one's face... bliss...

Wellington certainly looks different out on the waves. For example, small and far away.


(More pics after the jump.)

Head around Oriental Bay...


Then out around Mount Crawford... [huh, no Wiki page]


Head into Seatoun...


(Avoid the open sea!)

(That's Seatoun on the right, and Pencarrow Head [known for its lighthouse] on the left.)

Then past Marako/Ward Island...


To Day's Bay... [next to Eastbourne]


Then over to Somes' Island / Matui...


(That's Mokopuna Island on the right.)


Pop over to Petone...


Then back to Wellington...


Hey, I can see my work from here! (It's in there, honest.)


[END]

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Rogue Trading 2

[Something I should point out: this is the adventure that's in the main RPG book, so read on only if you don't want spoilers for that.]

So we had this map, but not sure where it was. We tried looking up in the ship's library. Fail. We go looking for map makers. Fail. We check with people on the ship. Fail. We go looking for people with knowledge. After a fail... not fail.

We find out we are heading for Winterscale's Realm, and a particular area therein. First task: get to the general area. This involves going through... The Maw...

Starts well by encountering a warp eddy, which we drive straight into. [Man, we suck. As first level characters, there are very few roles we are successfully making.] However, most of us are fine, and any ill effects pass.

We stop at several way stations, until we hit the Battleground, where we hear a trap... I mean, "salvation beacon". Yeah, it's not a trap. Honest. So we head out there and set off the trap... I mean, the... no wait, it is a trap!

We meet two raiders and a limpet mine coming for us. They get in some lucky early shots and nearly blow us away [only not so by being confused by the rules]. We fails to blow them up, and decide to run away and pretend to be dead. This seems to work, and we limp to the end of the Maw, and get to Footfall. And, for now, we stay there to repair our ship and recrew, although it is slow going. [Sigh, crappy, crappy low skills...]

[END]

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SJA: The Gift

Hang on, I've seen this before. The Claws of Axos... or The Seeds of Death. Or...

The Blathereen are back, and they are the good guys! Hang on, no they aren't, as they haven't been whenever they've previously appeared, including on previous SJA episodes!

And in no way did they act suspiciously, saying that if SJA and co were going to scan the plant to do so immediately, and that it would turn Earth into a rich and fertile land... for them!

It's just... so obvious. Is this a first time script from Rupert Laight? Has he never seen a previous SJA episode? Has he never seen any Doctor Who episodes? It's just... so unimaginative!

Even the cast isn't bringing anything new to the table. And, to be honest, the Slitheen outfits are so overexposed, they really do not work. Them moving about is bad enough, but now eating too...

Then, we finally get to the ending, and... Elizabeth? Why did you agree to that? Seriously, you are above that...

The series enders have previously aspired to something better. There is no hint of aspiration to anything here.


Next time: Nope, no more SJA this year. Now we have to wait a whole month until the next DW! (Not counting Dreamland...)

[END]

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Pick your montage!

I found three!



[END]

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TW: Risk Assessment

James Goss returns to writing Torchwood with a book by the name of Risk Assessment. He obviously liked the story far more than I did.

We are introduced to a new member of Torchwood, that of Miss Agnes Havershim, an assessor who is awakened when Torchwood faces an epic crisis to assess how well it is operating. Mention is made of the end of Torchwood One, but the arrival of Abaddon was nothing...

Which is one big problem that this book has. James clearly has this big idea about Agnes playing an important role, and there are many flashbacks trying to establish her character, but if she was really that important, she would have been around before, instead of this shoe-horned continuity. And it doesn't help that her character isn't likable. She's always smirking or smiling at odd times, a rather inappropriate reaction to the situations they face, which just make her stand out as an authorial creation that is forced to work.

And the situations are odd too. We start with something small, and the Vam crops up and looks to be the important menace of the book. Except that at the 70% mark, the story changes. Given that we aren't invested in this new character, and it revolves around her, it undercuts any sense that the character was credible as there is an attempt at a character as well as story shift. Neither works well. Then the resolution is just silly.

But then we get to the ending... the hell is up with that? It would make sense if the book is being continued, but it's not. At least, not as far as I am aware. Pretty conclusive ending, actually, in all regards, so I have no idea what either James or the book series editors were thinking letting it go through. Hopefully there is some explanation in The Undertaker's Gift, but I'm not expecting it.

Not a book I would readily recommend.

[END]

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Paranormia Activity

American horror movies come in two variates. One is "really bad". The other is "good because it is ultimately a remark of a foreign film". Thus, you can colour me surprised when I found a film that fits into a third category: "good and actually American!"

Although it has been released into mainstream cinemas, Paranormal Activity was originally screened at a 2007 film festival. With a different ending. I don't want to give away the ending, and I haven't seen the retake, but I did like the original ending. It was very dark.

In fact, I liked the entire movie. It is, in a word, creepy. This movie is INCREDIBLY effective at building atmosphere. It is a very slow build, but it is very well done. And, note, it doesn't use background music. I know that can help, but I have an admiration for a story that can work without it (which is one reason I like The Krotons).

The plot is that there is a couple, and strange activities are going on in the house. Turns out that she's been experiencing them off and on over the years, and there is a certain feeling to the story that makes this read as a redo of The Exorcist, but it is distinct enough. We're not talking huge booms here, the effects are subtle, but very well done.

One word of caution: don't watch this right before going to bed. It's creepy enough in the middle of the day, and unsettling enough when watched then to make you jumpy at night, so as for watching it immediately before... that's a scare tactic, right there.

Definitely see this movie. Not sure how well the new ending plays, but also try to catch the original.

[END]

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2,012 Apocalypses

Yes, I finally saw the latest in disaster porn. Although the epic disaster we all wanted to see is interrupted Every Ten Minutes by the need for a Family Moment! Every! Ten!! Minutes!!!

Really, I went along to see things blow up, and smash, and crash and lots of deaths on a planet wide scale... and yet there was continual cutting to various families in order to drive home the humanity of the end of the world. I get that there is the intention to make it a more personal story, but that isn't why we went to the story. And yes, we were bored during the non-icing bits in Day After Tomorrow, and no-one cared about the non-aliens in Independence Day.

Of course, the main conceit of the movie is that the Mayans predicted the end of the world. No they didn't. It ends up with neutrinos mutating (no, they can't) and microwaving the inside of the planet (microwaves don't work like that). Which leads to multiple earthquakes, and rising tides that make one think of a certain Biblical story. Basically, yeah, the story is complete bollocks, and is merely an excuse for the kablooms. Certainly shouldn't be thought about or it will cause pain.

You've seen the trailer, you know what to expect, although you may get bored during the talky scenes...

[END]

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Ijjer's Tale, Story Ten

Venturing upstairs in tower, we see some corridors and doors. I send my newly acquired imp to look around, and we find large steel doors with two hobgoblin guards. We approach them, but instead of beating them up, tell them we are sent to replace them. For some reason, they believe us [go natural 1s to detect our lies!]. They take off, and we follow. When they get to the tower entrance and get reinforcements, then we attack. [Definitely need some better planning there.]

The battle goes on a while as we can't seem to hit very well (although I hit fine and deal out lots of damage). Eventually, we whittle them down to one guard, that surrenders. He tell us that Verminard (who runs the place and rides a dragon) is in discussion with Fewmaster Toad in nearby room, and his chambers are next to that. Also, there is another tower with women prisoners, children prisoners are in this tower and men are in mines. There is a mechanism that will protect the city by placing large rocks and stuff in the way of the main gates.

Somehow, we realise that our plan should be to rescue the women and children, get the already rescued children, and then head to the men, triggering the rocks so that the armies coming through this place are slowed down. Or something. I wasn't paying attention, too busy talking to Imp-y-celyn [no-one got the reference. sigh].

Anyways, we go back to investigate the chambers, find some tapestries, some priceless items in a buffet [the cabinet, not the food spread], and some maps. And a trap that I completely fail to disarm. Ow.

Then we go after children. Which, on second thought, we should have done after getting other women out of other tower first. Oops. So we run into more draconians. Not that bad a fight [although a lot of misses]. For some reason, my compatriots annoyed when I kill one and as it explodes it hits them. Even though I in radius, I not hit, so don't know what they complaining about.

Unfortunately, one got away and called out to Flamestriker. Which seems to be name of old dragon guarding children. Guess we fighting him now...

[END]

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DW: The Waters of Mars

I really hope the Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre do a take on this... Excessive spoilers below.

So, did the Doctor win? Have to say, getting the TARDIS to save them was an obvious move, so long as people thought that they all died on Mars. But then he had to be nice...

As a base under siege, there's a lot of time not being under siege, even while under siege. The threat of the water creatures is really low key, and it isn't until they get on top of the base there's really a credible risk at all. In many ways, the water creatures aren't the point of the story, just something set up to look scary for "good television". Instead, it's about how this is a fixed point in time, and about the Doctor becoming the Time Lord Victorious. Any danger would have met that criteria. And I do wonder how comfortable that prosthetic was to wear, will have to see what the Confidential reveals.

In that regard, Adelaide Brooke isn't so much a companion as a cipher for the Doctor's need to rescue someone. While she's a typical Rusty "strong woman" figure, there isn't much else she's there for than to inspire others. And that bit with the Dalek was silly, in that the Daleks were there to wipe out all creation, what's that going to do with preserving a future fixed time point? And as for her ending... that was stupid, really undercut the character. So she's mad at the Doctor, but what's done is done, and her killing herself is going to fix anything? Lindsay Duncan may be a good actress, and gets a good "humanity is great" speech near the beginning, but that was a terrible part.

Tennant shifts into a different gear as he tries to stick to preserving the time line, and ultimately gives it the finger. I might have been reading too many comics recently, but the whole Time Lord Victorious thing does smack of a "big event" to help sell issues... I mean get in viewers. The regeneration doesn't have to be epic, but Rusty's clearly decided to go out in a big issue celebration.

Any power The Waters of Mars has a scary story is destroyed by the sudden looming plot thread that takes over at the end. Had that aspect been toned down, this would have been better, but instead it is reduced to serving as a prologue to the coming two-parter.


Next time: really bad hair!

[END]

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SJA: Mona Lisa's Revenge

Depressingly not very good.

The Mona Lisa is alive, and it's up to the three kids, and their dog, to save the day! Never have we had an episode that is so basically a Scooby Doo script as this one. Just lucky, I suppose, that it didn't turn out to be Old Man Hadders in disguise!

Was Elizabeth Sladen off filming something else better? Or was SJS just not needed for this story? (Clearly not.) Did she lament a thin script, or was she glad that she wasn't in this disaster?

A lot hinged on getting Mona Lisa right, and Suranne Jones didn't. Not sure if it was the direction, a bad actress, or the lack of eyebrows, but at no time was I enjoying any scenes she was in. And as for the Abomination, there's a problem that was dealt with sooner than it was introduced.

Bad, bad script all round. Frankly, skip past it, and you won't regret it.


Next time: The Slitheen? Or possibly Blatheen, whatever. Meh.

[END]

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I Get Spam

As before, I've been getting weird spam. This one is out there.

Who doesn't like Princess Diana? Moreover, who doesn't want to get money from her? Or from her memorial foundation? Oh, me! Fortunately, I can, because I'm a UK resident. Woo! (Again, some part of the email tucked away.


Date: Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:29:56 -0500 (COT)
From: Diana Grant Award UK
To: [this address not to be harvested, unlike the one above]
Subject: Princess Diana Grant Award Beneficiary-/.

Attention: Grant Beneficiary


This is to bring to your information that your email has been randomly selected and approved as a charity grant beneficiary of THE DIANA MEMORIAL FOUNDATION in commiseration of 10th anniversary of the demise of the Princess Of Wales. You are awarded a grant sum of 3,550,000.00 GBP (Three Million Five Hundred And Fifty Thousand Great Britain Pounds) and for further instructions on how you are to put claim to your grant, you are to FORWARD a copy of this notice to our International Grants Officer as well as give him a call via contact details below:


Mr. James McArthur.
INTERNATIONAL GRANTS OFFICER,
GRANT AWARD DEPARTMENT,
THE DIANA MEMORIAL FOUNDATION
FOUNDATION BUILDING,
214 GREAT QUEEN STREET,
LONDON, WC2B 5DF
UNITED KINGDOM.
Tel: +44 703 184 3661
Fax: +44 871 263 9807
Email: dianagrantuk@aim.com


Congratulations once again from all staff of THE DIANA MEMORIAL FOUNDATION and it
is our hope that you will appreciate our gesture and that you be more involved
in charitable acts

Sincerely,
Miss Helen Jones,
PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER,
GRANT AWARD DEPARTMENT,
THE DIANA MEMORIAL FOUNDATION
FOUNDATION BUILDING,
214 GREAT QUEEN STREET,
LONDON, WC2B 5DF
UNITED KINGDOM.
Email: postmaster@princessdianfoundation.uk

[END]

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Capital-ism - A Wuv Story

The other day I caught the latest Michael Moore propaganda-piece, about how trying to earn a dis-honest buck is considered a bad thing, but at least we are switching to socialism now.

This story is told by extreme close up shots on people as they start crying, and short clips from old short educational films. This is journalism in action!

Okay, so maybe the entire movie isn't told in this fashion, but a few personal stories are used to tell the entire tale of how capitalism is wrong. It's not that simple... which is the point, for me. All these stories are interesting, but it comes down to that nothing is that simple.

The CEOs did lots of "bad things" to get more money, at the expense of other people, but it's not that simple. Legislation was pushed through to benefit the few instead of the many, but it's not that simple. President Obama has made many changes that are not favourable to those people, and the power is somewhat returning to the people, but it's not that simple.

With over two hours, Moore can't really get into details, and needs to show it as relatively simple (although there is a very amusing moment where people are attemping to explain derivatives).

It's worth watching, but does make you wonder how America manages to continue to survive as a major power...

[END]

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I Get Spam

Have to say that my email spam has been getting more creative of late. I thought I would share one with you, although "you are hereby warned not to communicate or duplicate this message to him for any reason what so ever as the U.S. Secret service is already on trace of the other criminals." Oooh...

That said, I'm not a US citizen, so not that inspired to obey the message. But have to give credit for sounding "reasonable" for citing the UN, refering to specific numbers and not directly asking for cash to be sent to them (not to mention repeating "€900,000 Euros"). Instead, we send contact details for methods of payment and "I shall feed you with further modalities as soon as I hear from you." Feed us indeed... and note the interesting spelling and such that all such UN agencies have... (Most of the email hidden on the main page, click for full email.)

[And, spam bots, feel free to harvest his addresses...]

Date: Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:59:17 +0800
From: MR EVANS GOMEZ
Reply-To: unrefunds@yahoo.es
Subject: N/A

SCAMMED VICTIM/521 BENEFICIARIES REF/PAYMENTS CODE: 06654 €900,000.00 Euros ONLY This is to bring to your notice that I am a delegate from the United Nations to The IMF (International Monetary Fund) West Africa Regional Payment Office to pay 521 scam victims ?900,000 Euros (Nine Hundred Thousand Euros only) each.

You are listed and approved for this payment as one of the scammed victims to be paid this amount,get back to me as soon as possible for the immediate payments of your €900,000.00 Euros compensations funds.On this faithful recommendations, I want you to know that during the last U.N. meetings held at Madrid, Spain, it was alarmed so much by the world in the meetings on the lost of funds by various individual to scam artist operating in syndicates all over the world today.

In other to compensate these victims, the U.N Body is now paying 521 victims of this operators €900,000.00 Euros each in accordance with the U.N.recommendations.the payments are to be paid by UN officials sitting at IMF (International Monetary Fund) European Regional Payment Office as corresponding payment centre under funding assistance by United Nation body.

According to the number of applicants at hand, 284 Beneficiaries has been paid, all of the victims are from the United States, and we still have more 237 left to be paid the compensations of €900,000.00 Euros each. Your particulars was mentioned by one of the Syndicates who was arrested as one of their victims of the operations, you are hereby warned not to communicate or duplicate this message to him for any reason what so ever as the U.S. Secret service is already on trace of the other criminals. So keep it secret till they are all apprehended.

Other victims who have not been Contacted can submit their application as well for scrutiny and possible consideration. You can receive your compensations payments via.

1. ATM CARD
2. CHECK PAYMENT
3. ONLINE BANK TRANSFER

Indicate your option and send your full Name and telephone number/your correct mailing address where you want us to send the compensation to.

To UN Representative: Dr Juan Marcus
Phone: +34-634025-345
Email:unrefunds@yahoo.es

I shall feed you with further modalities as soon as I hear from you.
Yours faithfully,
MR EVANS GOMEZ
United Nation Representative.

[END]

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Revolvering

As part of her Celebration, Madonna also had a second new single on the album. A "Revolver" featuring a Mr. Lil Wayne.

This video comes with lyrics although a few are suspect. Got up in the lobaright?
[END]

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Ijjer's Tale, Story Nine

We continued searching the undergrounds and came across a large crypt like area. Which was obviously full of zombies (as they attacked us). Although there were many, they weren't that impressive, and I killed most of them without really trying. (One tough one fell to a particularly excellent use of my command over the air [4ed has a rule of, for the lower zombies, a crit auto-kills them, useful for non-minions].)

Looking around afterwards, there was no loot (sad), but we did find secret door, which took us into a long passage that linked to where we had been before. Continuing around, the main door into the place shut, trapping us in with a gargoyle. A really annoying gargoyle, which, after I beat it down, turned into a statue so we couldn't damage it. We went back out the secret door and left it to its own devices.

Going out through the main doors of the crypt, we found another place with more secret door, and eventually to a large room with a chain in the middle of it. Lukan climbed up somewhat, but it didn't look interesting, so we ignored it.

Going on, we found another secret door, but then the gargoyle from before found us! It handed the bard's arse to him, but again it was me that killed it. [Very high AC. Very low reflex. Guess which I target. ;)]

Beyond secret door was cellar, and another door which we heard someone talk about a female and there were slapping sounds. [Go us and our maturity!] Realising it was the kidnapped Liana, we opened the door and starting dealing with the dragon-beasts beyond. Our job a lot easier when their own forces took them out. Heh. Two nearly got away, but I swooped in myself and Lukan, although then killed them myself. Go me.

We freed Liana, and other women prisoners. Found out we were in basement, that men prisoners working mine, and children with old dragon. Also room of Gully Dwarves, but we ignore them. After making sure women safe, we set out to free the men...

[END]

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HC Again

Been a while since I posted.

A few weeks ago we did a mod that was mostly lost when Logan's computer crashed. It was a CSI type case (based on Castle actually) and we totally solved it. Hear what remains of Fountain Redoux.

Then, as recently mentioned, we went on a Haunted House mod, because it was Halloween! Although, yes, it was haunted, it mainly consisted of it wandering around and getting semi-attacked by spirits and getting absolutely nowhere at all. So no surprise it was just Cold Spot Part 1 of 2.

Thus, last weekend, we continued with Part 2. Although it looked like we would continue to spin it out into a Part 3, we failed to do so by actually doing something that could broadly be interpreted as solving the mission. Not helped by me being distracted by Flash Games. Cold Spot Part 2 of 2.

[END]

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SJA: The Eternity Trap

Basically... I enjoyed that!

SJS and co go to a haunted house... spooky! Although there are no such things as ghosts... not that the scientific explanation wasn't much more than hand waving anyway, and may as well have said 'ghosts' for all the explaining it did. Still, there are no ghosts in the Doctor Who Universe (fortunately, we can ignore the Ghosts of N-Space) and I'm sure that final obligatory shot was nothing more than a residual imprint from the stone tape (which got namechecked).

Haunted houses are always fun, and this reminded me of the haunted house mod I had just done the day before in my roleplaying (am tempted to turn this into a mod, but there are some parts that would not translate well). It was scary in concept, but not so much in execution (possibly to not scare the kiddies too much). Nicely done, without getting too ghastly. Clyde's continual bad jokes helped stop the tension building too high, and I mean that in a good way, this is supposed to be a light series not a horror/thriller show.

A lighter cast this time, with no Luke (had to do his GSCEs). Toby Silverman was an interesting character, although I'm not sure he'd survive in a larger role. Callum Blue was largely hidden behind a long wig, so much so that I completely failed to recognise him (otherwise seen in Dead Like Me and Secret Diary of a Call Girl). Donald Sumpter was a nice cast choice, but didn't really seem to get into the part.

On the whole, a good pair of episodes. While not brilliant, a cut above the general fare.

Next week: back to generic looking episode...

[END]

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Singing Sparkly Vampires

What could possibly make Twilight bearable? Making it into a musical! Part 1 sets things up, but it isn't until Part 2 that we get Edward.

Go check out the installments of Twilight - The Musical!

[END]

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The Internet is for... you know

You've all seen it, who hasn't? It's hilarious! Those WOW characters telling us what the internet is for...

But have you seen the original? It's from the musical Avenue Q.

Why not take some time out of your day and find out that Everyone's A Little Bit Racist. Or that If You Were Gay. And that It Sucks To Be Me. Or more!

[END]

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Still Hungry?

One documentary I just caught was Food, Inc. It's a detailed look at where food comes from in America, looking at cattle, pork, chickens, corn, soybeans, and how corporate America has taken over and controlled it all, brought in a processing like mentality and dictates pretty much how everyone eats, regardless of buying fast food or from the supermarket.

Now, what I was watching, I applied the first rule of documentaries: not everything you see is the truth. Parts of it are undoubtedly true, but I'm not taking anything I saw at face value.

That said, it's a pretty ugly view of the food industry... for the people involved. For the corporations, where money is everything, everything is working fine. It's not nice, but this is how capitalism works, and if people vote with their dollars, it will change. But only if people care enough.

I emphasized America above as it isn't exactly the same here in New Zealand. Now, I'm no food expert, and have only what I bothered to google to find out, but we don't have a heavily subsidized corn industry here. We don't corn-feed cattle (we grass feed!). We... well, we probably do use pesticides as much, and have an organic industry relatively as strong as over there. What else we do or don't have I'll let enthused commentators post on.

(On the organic front, I don't listen to their 'anti-pesticide', etc, diatribes. We've been cultivating so much food ourselves that the food in the organic farmers hand is just as modified from "natural" as genetically modified food, just that GM'ed food is more direct about it.)

Interesting documentary, although not quite as impactful here. And, afterward, I went out and had chicken for dinner.

[END]

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Rogue Trading 1

[As threatened, we have started a Rogue Trader campaign, which I have no knowledge of. Since none of us had a manual, we spent the first few hours generating our character. Yay us!

I had the idea I wanted to be a Navigator. From there, I worked out, using the matrix, the rest of my character path, namely that I am from an Imperial World, am a Savant, am Chosen by Destiny, had a Dark Voyage, and am seeking Prestige.

However, then I find out that Nagivators are Mutants. And I am from a Renegade House, which is extra Mutant! Turns out I have a bloated form and membranous growths. Lovely...

Characters are:
Darius, a Rogue Trader
Sebastian, Navigator [Me!]
Juron(?), Arch-Militant
(can't recall), an Explorator

And then we started the adventure...]

We docked at Port Wanderer, on the edge of the Koronus Expanse, and receive word that someone that worked for our Rogue Trader's family was here and wanting to talk to us, meeting us in the market area. We head in, with the gun guy looking for a new pistol. He does find something useful for him, and we find our contact.

He had an item handed down from the grandfather of Darius, which he handed over to Darius, which promptly opened up revealing an astropath stone that I could use to find some lost ship of booty he told us about (I didn't pay much attention). However, as he did that, a bird that belonged to a woman that was following us swooped in and grabbed the stone. The indecency!

Everyone else responded with guns, but I tracked the bird, which dropped the stone (it being too much for its delicate body). Not that I got there first, mind you, but I was the one that grabbed the stone... and got a vision of a starfield for my trouble. Not that I know where it was. That would be something we could track down after we left the area, along with everything else. Our future adventure awaits!

[END]

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The Fourth Destination

Part of my science fiction education is about learning about the intent of the story. The bulk, however, it about the spectacle. While it's not science fiction in any interesting sense, The Final Destination (aka Final Destination 4) is certainly spectacle over anything else.

Certainly the plot is nothing original. Some people die, only they didn't due to someone getting a premonition, then they are killed off one-by-one in weird ways in the order they should have died. And they seem to escape, until...

Frankly, that could have been any of the movies. So let's talk interesting deaths instead! The scene is set with the opening titles showing (in x-ray vision) various deaths from earlier movies (which I recognised, sad to say), and then the new death kicks off at a car rally. To be honest, when seeing these gruesome moments, there is only really one reaction: laughter. It is so over the top, clearly so, that just give in a chuckle it up. When someone dies by a spinning tire knocking their head off, why not smile?

That said, this movie, like the prior ones, does push some deaths out too far. And by too far I mean boring. What happens to Hunt? Meh. And what happens to the mum is just a "get on with it!" scene. Sigh. So much death, so jaded.

Oh, yeah, and this is 3D as well. Can see some moments, but didn't do much for me.

This is definitely one of the shorter movies around at the moment. Amusing, if you like spectacle, but look for no substance here.

[END]

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SJA: The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith

My main issue with this story isn't Tennant, but the other recurring role...

Hey, it's the guy that was missing from last week! Yes, it's the Trickster. Note: that's pronounced. "Yes, it's <heavy sigh, continue in despondent voice> The Trickster."

But, this is the Wedding of Sarah Jane, so we should be happy for her. And Nigel Havers is a heck of a catch. But, to be honest, I think Clyde was on to a more interesting story if it turned out he was a con man. But this is SJA, so there are monsters involved. Moreover, this is the middle story so the Trickster is involved.

Really? I think we're done with him. If there is a series four, please, no Trickster. Please. Pretty please?

But, hey, at least there's the Doctor. Erm... yes... it was Tennant's last recorded acting as the Doctor, and I wouldn't say he phoned it in. But I might say he shouted it in through a megaphone while passing by in a car. Not his most valued portrayal, and, of course, he can't overshadow SJ and the kids.

Ah, well, let us bask in the presence of Nigel Havers. Good casting choice there.

Next Week: Oh, look, SJA meets The Stone Tape!

[END]

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