A few months ago:
Mike: Saw the first War of the Worlds trailer today.
John: Yeah, I caught it online.
Mike: I loved that opening voice-over. Gave me chills. Totally grabbed me.
John: ... that's from the book.
Mike: Hmm?
John: That voiceover. It's the opening paragraph from the original H.G. Wells novel.
Mike: Nooooooo.
John: I love you like a brother. But if you fight me on this, I will kill you with this remote control.
Mike: ... that's not a remote control. That's a steak knife.
John: Go turn the TV channel ... or I'll stab you with this steak knife.
Mike: I see what you're going for here.
And so, because Mike is cool, he went and read the novel, and was completely floored. I reflected on the fact that it had never occurred to me that someone who I consider very bright, creative, and leads a productive life may NOT have read a novel from 1898.
The challenge then, geek brethren -- what is this basic syllabus of sci fi? Category A: submit ten novels/pieces of writing giving a new reader a great general overview of where sci fi came from how it progressed, or what it means. Even single suggestions will be considered, all submissions will be judged on a completely unscientific basis, and the final list posted here on Kung Fu Monkey.
For optional Category B: We can all agree on the classics. but what's your little obsession? The book/work you live which you can't honestly say has reached classic status quite yet, but it knocked you on your ass. Who's your favorite underrated dark horse or up-and-comer?
One week of voting, or whenever I get bored.
Addendum: this is meant to be the newbie friendly list. I may, depending on mood, break this off into 101 and 201 -- and yes, short stories/collections of same are game
Addendum 2: Bonus points for spotting the actual famous sci-fi authors who are posting on this list ...
addendum 3: Has anyone actually ever done a decent overview of sci-fi evolution from, say, nineteenth century through now?
Saturday, June 25, 2005
Friday, June 24, 2005
'elllllloooo Clinton!
Oh, and the one thing that really, REALLY drives me nut-shudderingly mad is when I point out something about the current administration's policies, and I hear: "But Clinton --"
Boom. Done. You have just forfeited. You've just said "I have no rebuttal or ideas which contribute meaningfully to a discussion of the policies of the guy who not only is running the country right now, but has been doing so with the moral force of 9/11 behind him and full control of both Houses for the last FIVE. GODDAM. YEARS and so has the closest to absolute power of any President in a HALF CENTURY. There is no reasonable argument I can make based on current facts. I must pull up some comparison to Clinton -- "
Clinton has been gone for FIVE YEARS people. He is an ex-president! 'E's passed on! This president is no more! He has ceased to be president! 'Is term's expired and he's gone! 'E's a stiff! Bereft of legislative life, 'Is political processes are now 'istory! 'E's off the twig! 'E's kicked the bucket, 'e's shuffled off Air Force One, run down the curtain and joined the bleedin' choir invisibile!! THIS IS AN EX-PRESIDENT!!
You know why this doesn't work as a reasonable argument? (Other than the skull-shredding simplicty of the above analysis?) It fails the EEBC.
Extrapolated Everyday Bullshit Comparison. Politics are often so rarified, and the arguments so bound in the theoretical, it always helps to employ the Kung Fu Monkey EEBC test. We take the idea under discussion OUT of politics, put it INTO an everyday situation, and see if it holds up.
For example, say you and I go to a restaraunt. It has been under new management for five years, completely restaffed. All new cooks. You order your food.
Your plate arrives topped with a huge, steaming pile of crap. And then they hand you the bill.
Now, as you stare at this, as you stutter, "Sweet God, they just gave me a PLATE of HUMAN FECES" --
-- I say "Well, yeah, but you should've seen what they served five years ago, under the old management."
Does that make any sense? Is that in any way relevant? In ANY universe? Of course not. You'd drive my forehead into the table, repeatedly. With justification.
And so we see the previous rhetorical tack fails the EEBC. So don't use it. Anymore. Ever.
By the way, the EEBC can be used in almost any situation. Say, oh, your child develops cancer. And he dies, agonizingly. And you find out that your oncologist, Dr. Rumsfeld, really didn't plan out the treatment very well, and also didn't care that your child, your only, sweet, sweet child, was treated with second rate equipment.
And when you confront Dr. Rumsfeld, he shrugs his shoulders and says "You fight cancer with the medicines you have, not the medicines you want."
You'd spend an hour kneeling on his chest, screaming, breaking every bone you could before the orderlies pulled you off.
On second thought, don't use the EEBC too often. That way lies madness. Common sense can break a man in the modern age.
Boom. Done. You have just forfeited. You've just said "I have no rebuttal or ideas which contribute meaningfully to a discussion of the policies of the guy who not only is running the country right now, but has been doing so with the moral force of 9/11 behind him and full control of both Houses for the last FIVE. GODDAM. YEARS and so has the closest to absolute power of any President in a HALF CENTURY. There is no reasonable argument I can make based on current facts. I must pull up some comparison to Clinton -- "
Clinton has been gone for FIVE YEARS people. He is an ex-president! 'E's passed on! This president is no more! He has ceased to be president! 'Is term's expired and he's gone! 'E's a stiff! Bereft of legislative life, 'Is political processes are now 'istory! 'E's off the twig! 'E's kicked the bucket, 'e's shuffled off Air Force One, run down the curtain and joined the bleedin' choir invisibile!! THIS IS AN EX-PRESIDENT!!
You know why this doesn't work as a reasonable argument? (Other than the skull-shredding simplicty of the above analysis?) It fails the EEBC.
Extrapolated Everyday Bullshit Comparison. Politics are often so rarified, and the arguments so bound in the theoretical, it always helps to employ the Kung Fu Monkey EEBC test. We take the idea under discussion OUT of politics, put it INTO an everyday situation, and see if it holds up.
For example, say you and I go to a restaraunt. It has been under new management for five years, completely restaffed. All new cooks. You order your food.
Your plate arrives topped with a huge, steaming pile of crap. And then they hand you the bill.
Now, as you stare at this, as you stutter, "Sweet God, they just gave me a PLATE of HUMAN FECES" --
-- I say "Well, yeah, but you should've seen what they served five years ago, under the old management."
Does that make any sense? Is that in any way relevant? In ANY universe? Of course not. You'd drive my forehead into the table, repeatedly. With justification.
And so we see the previous rhetorical tack fails the EEBC. So don't use it. Anymore. Ever.
By the way, the EEBC can be used in almost any situation. Say, oh, your child develops cancer. And he dies, agonizingly. And you find out that your oncologist, Dr. Rumsfeld, really didn't plan out the treatment very well, and also didn't care that your child, your only, sweet, sweet child, was treated with second rate equipment.
And when you confront Dr. Rumsfeld, he shrugs his shoulders and says "You fight cancer with the medicines you have, not the medicines you want."
You'd spend an hour kneeling on his chest, screaming, breaking every bone you could before the orderlies pulled you off.
On second thought, don't use the EEBC too often. That way lies madness. Common sense can break a man in the modern age.
I'm All Out of Reasonable.
Constipated writer, in the comments to the Rove post, writes:
No.
No.
Let me make this perfectly plain.
The man who runs the White House, the man who's run every one of the president's campaigns, the man who controls every public and private move of this administration just said -- no, demonstrably, factcheckingly LIED about liberals not wanting to go to war after 9/11 and then implicated that liberals' "motives" are aid and comfort to the enemy. To wit, the colloquial understanding of treason.
Not some internet fundraising group.
Not some unelected film-maker.
Not some fucking BLOGGER.
The guy. Who runs. The White House.
And he didn't just say there were "different approaches" to dealing with terrorism. He lied about liberals' response to 9/11, and then he accused them of treason.
I am sick of this "a plague on both your houses" bullshit. I am sick of, every time I bring up what Bush has demonstrably, verifiably failed to do to armor our troops, plan for the invasion, secure our homeland and care for our soldiers when they return, and somebody says "Yeah, but Dick Durbin said" or "Yeah, but Howard Dean said ..."
Why yes, sure, sometimes there are shades of grey, sometimes both sides can be excessive -- and sometimes there's no moral relativism at all, and a man reveals himself to be the amoral, desperate black spot on the pancreatic x-ray of humanity that he is.
Dick Durbin was quoting an FBI report. Howard Dean doesn't like the heads of the Republican party -- he didn't accuse them of FUCKING TREASON from extension phone to the Oval Office. That's not spin. That's McCarthyism, pure and goddam simple. Once you drop the T-bomb, you take yourself right out of politics as usual and drop yourself right into the "dangerous pig-eyed fuck who thinks there's too much free-speech" category.
Did you know that the definition of treason is quite specifically defined in the Consititution? Did you know it's the only crime actually spelled out in the Constitution? DO. YOU. KNOW. WHY?
No. Of course you don't. Nobody ever bothers to read the goddam thing.
Because the Founding Fathers had seen the charge of treason used too many times against the political opponents of the British Government. They knew, when the government gets nervous and breaks out the Big Evil Golf Bag of Shutting Up Questions, the first club out is the Treason Charge. They knew the first guy to yell treason was the bastard.
And none of this matters. You say both sides use harsh rhetoric -- fine, throw out the rhetoric. Let's just go by actions. Who voted down increases for the VA to take care of soldiers THREE TIMES in the last year? Who voted against exempting soldier's families from the new bankruptcy laws, so they're just as likely -- no MORE likely because of the extended length of Reservists' stay - to lose their homes? Who sent our troops improperly armored into a war? Who went into a war in one of the most politically volatile regions on the planet without a proper postwar plan ? Who got rid of any general or staffer who suggested Iraq would be anything other than a cakewalk? Who took troops away from the pursuit of the guy who actually toppled the towers so they could prep the Iraq War? Who spent weeks jerking off over Terry Schiavo while the 9/11 Commission BEGGED them, ANYONE to put into practice even a fraction of the recommendations they made to secure this nation's innocent civilians?
You know who. ONE of those two sides. Those two sides you say are equivalent. I call bullshit.
And for the architect of those policies to come out and accuse anyone who thinks that maybe, just maybe, the guy who's the current occupant of the people's house should be accountable to the citizens paying his salary, that those people are TRAITORS -- that the people who have the temerity to ask a question or two are somehow the problem ...
So you know what? Go ahead. Call me a traitor. Call me a traitor, for never taking "just because" as an answer, for never trusting any government, even my own (just like Jefferson warned us). Call me a traitor for actually being idiotic enough to think that the life of some other family's son, daughter, husband, wife, father, mother is worth asking questions of men in comfortable suits in air conditioned offices. Call me a traitor while I point out the man who blew up the towers is not only alive, the CIA says we know exactly where he is. Call me a traitor while I ask whether it's true we were lied to in the run-up to the war. Call me a traitor for politely mentioning that hey, we never found any WMD's, the inspectors were doing their jobs, it turns out Saddam had no Al-Queda ties at all, Afghanistan actually wasn't finished and could we maybe clear a few things up? Call me a traitor when I suggest that missile defense is idiotic while our ports and borders lay open right now. Call me a traitor while I ask why the richest nation in the world, with ample prep time, sent soldiers into the field ill-equipped, and now fails to take care of them properly when wounded. Call me a traitor for asking "Hey, why do you keep saying you did PLENTY of pre-war planning, when that would seem to imply that the current clusterfuck is Plan A, which would actually make you more inept."
Go ahead and call me traitor, because somehow in your head the world's just too damn scary a place to consider that the guy in charge just might not be the guy you need him to be to feel safe.
Go ahead, and be too weak to ask questions. Be too weak to use the greatest gift God in his infinite wisdom gave us -- doubt.
Just be strong enough to hate.
Keep calling me a traitor.
Because I smell it, Rove.
You never, EVER come out from behind the curtain. There's something out there ... maybe it's the Downing Street Memo, maybe it's the falling polls, maybe it's the sick corruption around Tom DeLay, maybe it's something we haven't even found yet, but you know it's out there ...
So that's the last I'll speak of this. Because this is what you want. A firestorm, partisanship. Liberals vs. Conservatives, so those conservatives who've started voicing doubts come back onto the reservation. You Washington Republicans know the real Republicans --the reasonable fiscal responsibility small government Republicans -- are starting to realize that you are not representing what the party's supposed to be about. You want people focusing on how nasty the rhetoric is, so nobody sees the real struggle. It's not Liberals vs. Conservatives. It's never really Liberals vs. Conservatives:
The real struggle is always Facts vs. Lies.
Sometimes I'm a liberal (to my father's dismay). Sometimes I'm a conservative (to my friends' and wife's dismay). But you know what I always am?
I'm a guy who believes in facts. And right now, I know whose side they're sitting on.
"There are some legit points in that Washington Post article amongst the avalanche spin and back tracking. People might as well face facts-Liberals are just as scandolous as the Conservatives. Just depends on which practice you feel less disturbed about."No.
No.
No.
Let me make this perfectly plain.
The man who runs the White House, the man who's run every one of the president's campaigns, the man who controls every public and private move of this administration just said -- no, demonstrably, factcheckingly LIED about liberals not wanting to go to war after 9/11 and then implicated that liberals' "motives" are aid and comfort to the enemy. To wit, the colloquial understanding of treason.
Not some internet fundraising group.
Not some unelected film-maker.
Not some fucking BLOGGER.
The guy. Who runs. The White House.
And he didn't just say there were "different approaches" to dealing with terrorism. He lied about liberals' response to 9/11, and then he accused them of treason.
I am sick of this "a plague on both your houses" bullshit. I am sick of, every time I bring up what Bush has demonstrably, verifiably failed to do to armor our troops, plan for the invasion, secure our homeland and care for our soldiers when they return, and somebody says "Yeah, but Dick Durbin said" or "Yeah, but Howard Dean said ..."
Why yes, sure, sometimes there are shades of grey, sometimes both sides can be excessive -- and sometimes there's no moral relativism at all, and a man reveals himself to be the amoral, desperate black spot on the pancreatic x-ray of humanity that he is.
Dick Durbin was quoting an FBI report. Howard Dean doesn't like the heads of the Republican party -- he didn't accuse them of FUCKING TREASON from extension phone to the Oval Office. That's not spin. That's McCarthyism, pure and goddam simple. Once you drop the T-bomb, you take yourself right out of politics as usual and drop yourself right into the "dangerous pig-eyed fuck who thinks there's too much free-speech" category.
Did you know that the definition of treason is quite specifically defined in the Consititution? Did you know it's the only crime actually spelled out in the Constitution? DO. YOU. KNOW. WHY?
No. Of course you don't. Nobody ever bothers to read the goddam thing.
Because the Founding Fathers had seen the charge of treason used too many times against the political opponents of the British Government. They knew, when the government gets nervous and breaks out the Big Evil Golf Bag of Shutting Up Questions, the first club out is the Treason Charge. They knew the first guy to yell treason was the bastard.
And none of this matters. You say both sides use harsh rhetoric -- fine, throw out the rhetoric. Let's just go by actions. Who voted down increases for the VA to take care of soldiers THREE TIMES in the last year? Who voted against exempting soldier's families from the new bankruptcy laws, so they're just as likely -- no MORE likely because of the extended length of Reservists' stay - to lose their homes? Who sent our troops improperly armored into a war? Who went into a war in one of the most politically volatile regions on the planet without a proper postwar plan ? Who got rid of any general or staffer who suggested Iraq would be anything other than a cakewalk? Who took troops away from the pursuit of the guy who actually toppled the towers so they could prep the Iraq War? Who spent weeks jerking off over Terry Schiavo while the 9/11 Commission BEGGED them, ANYONE to put into practice even a fraction of the recommendations they made to secure this nation's innocent civilians?
You know who. ONE of those two sides. Those two sides you say are equivalent. I call bullshit.
And for the architect of those policies to come out and accuse anyone who thinks that maybe, just maybe, the guy who's the current occupant of the people's house should be accountable to the citizens paying his salary, that those people are TRAITORS -- that the people who have the temerity to ask a question or two are somehow the problem ...
So you know what? Go ahead. Call me a traitor. Call me a traitor, for never taking "just because" as an answer, for never trusting any government, even my own (just like Jefferson warned us). Call me a traitor for actually being idiotic enough to think that the life of some other family's son, daughter, husband, wife, father, mother is worth asking questions of men in comfortable suits in air conditioned offices. Call me a traitor while I point out the man who blew up the towers is not only alive, the CIA says we know exactly where he is. Call me a traitor while I ask whether it's true we were lied to in the run-up to the war. Call me a traitor for politely mentioning that hey, we never found any WMD's, the inspectors were doing their jobs, it turns out Saddam had no Al-Queda ties at all, Afghanistan actually wasn't finished and could we maybe clear a few things up? Call me a traitor when I suggest that missile defense is idiotic while our ports and borders lay open right now. Call me a traitor while I ask why the richest nation in the world, with ample prep time, sent soldiers into the field ill-equipped, and now fails to take care of them properly when wounded. Call me a traitor for asking "Hey, why do you keep saying you did PLENTY of pre-war planning, when that would seem to imply that the current clusterfuck is Plan A, which would actually make you more inept."
Go ahead and call me traitor, because somehow in your head the world's just too damn scary a place to consider that the guy in charge just might not be the guy you need him to be to feel safe.
Go ahead, and be too weak to ask questions. Be too weak to use the greatest gift God in his infinite wisdom gave us -- doubt.
Just be strong enough to hate.
Keep calling me a traitor.
Because I smell it, Rove.
You never, EVER come out from behind the curtain. There's something out there ... maybe it's the Downing Street Memo, maybe it's the falling polls, maybe it's the sick corruption around Tom DeLay, maybe it's something we haven't even found yet, but you know it's out there ...
So that's the last I'll speak of this. Because this is what you want. A firestorm, partisanship. Liberals vs. Conservatives, so those conservatives who've started voicing doubts come back onto the reservation. You Washington Republicans know the real Republicans --the reasonable fiscal responsibility small government Republicans -- are starting to realize that you are not representing what the party's supposed to be about. You want people focusing on how nasty the rhetoric is, so nobody sees the real struggle. It's not Liberals vs. Conservatives. It's never really Liberals vs. Conservatives:
The real struggle is always Facts vs. Lies.
Sometimes I'm a liberal (to my father's dismay). Sometimes I'm a conservative (to my friends' and wife's dismay). But you know what I always am?
I'm a guy who believes in facts. And right now, I know whose side they're sitting on.
GF Storm Surge
Bloody hell, where are you people coming from? (looks) Well, that's interesting. NODWICK?! HA! My gamer brethren are arriving! Welcome.
For the e-mailers who are confused, one last summary post, then you're on your own if you arrive after that.
I would be remiss (scratch that, have been remiss) not to point out you can get the original GLOBAL FREQUENCY graphic novel at Amazon.
It's a "Global" Frequency now
Miranda is ... annoyed
One Last GF question
GF Wow
GF Reviews and E-mails
GF Update #1
and a general Index of this site's bigger articles.
Back to work. Thanks for coming.
For the e-mailers who are confused, one last summary post, then you're on your own if you arrive after that.
I would be remiss (scratch that, have been remiss) not to point out you can get the original GLOBAL FREQUENCY graphic novel at Amazon.
It's a "Global" Frequency now
Miranda is ... annoyed
One Last GF question
GF Wow
GF Reviews and E-mails
GF Update #1
and a general Index of this site's bigger articles.
Back to work. Thanks for coming.
Comic-con
Hey, in lighter news, show of hands in the comments on who's coming to San Diego and on what days. May have a dinner or breakfast there for a meatspace hookup of readers.
Thursday, June 23, 2005
57% of America are traitors.
Dial-up. Gaaagh.
Leave the country for two days, miss the news, sign on and am reminded by Karl Rove why I carry two passports. When things implode, contact me on the blog. I have enough land in Ottawa to build a compound ... Hey Karl, I donated money to buy armor for troops, which you didn't get them before you sent them to war, and donate more money to the VA, to take care of them when they get back. And finance a food bank which has a few reservists' families coming for help. So fuck you, you cretinous stain on American history. My only solace is that in the future, you will be played in movies and television series by character actors who otherwise specialize in pedophile and serial killer roles. And they will hesitate to take the job.
Go check out John Cole to be reminded of how reasonable conservatives think, and watch him remind you of a few numbers which mark Rove as the filthy, lowlife liar he is.
We're not the ones who let Osama get away, fuckwit.
Leave the country for two days, miss the news, sign on and am reminded by Karl Rove why I carry two passports. When things implode, contact me on the blog. I have enough land in Ottawa to build a compound ... Hey Karl, I donated money to buy armor for troops, which you didn't get them before you sent them to war, and donate more money to the VA, to take care of them when they get back. And finance a food bank which has a few reservists' families coming for help. So fuck you, you cretinous stain on American history. My only solace is that in the future, you will be played in movies and television series by character actors who otherwise specialize in pedophile and serial killer roles. And they will hesitate to take the job.
Go check out John Cole to be reminded of how reasonable conservatives think, and watch him remind you of a few numbers which mark Rove as the filthy, lowlife liar he is.
We're not the ones who let Osama get away, fuckwit.
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Brownout
Out of town and on dial-up from tonight on through the weekend, so don't expect much. On the off chance that you folks are finding each other amusing, I declare this an open thread. Pimp your sites, favorites games (electronic and pen and paper, let's see some sweet d20 action...), and see who else digs what you dig. Ask a question about screenwriting, electronic rights, see how long it takes to get answered or sent to a referencing site.
Will check in later. Take care.
Will check in later. Take care.
Planetside visitors
All others ignroe -- but hey, have they yanked the BFR's from the game yet? Or at least balanced them? Planetside was my favorite online future combat game for a long time. Always considered it sort of a neglected classic. Haven't been on in a while, since the focus went from great squad-level tactics to the Mech-fest.
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
GF Update #1
All right, here's how the next two weeks proceeds, folks. Phone calls have been made, and we're setting meetings. However, because Hollywood essentially takes off two weeks around any vaguely sizable holiday (they're like, spin-negative Amish), things'll be quiet until after the Fourth, when meetings can finally be had. I myself am returning to my adopted homeland for a few days this weekend.
In the meantime, spread the word (but not the file. Bad TV audience. Baaaaaad), organize yourselves, maybe check in here on the Fridays to say hi to each other.
In two weeks, we will know exactly where the rights are, what the plan is, and who you can bombard with email and cards (and vent unto). Check in here and over at Frequencysite.com whenever you have the chance. I hope not just the genre fans will join in here, but also all those who are visiting from Boing Boing who are interested in alternative distribution and media evolution.
This site will now return to its usual programming of cultural snark and political rants, until the next GF update.
In the meantime, spread the word (but not the file. Bad TV audience. Baaaaaad), organize yourselves, maybe check in here on the Fridays to say hi to each other.
In two weeks, we will know exactly where the rights are, what the plan is, and who you can bombard with email and cards (and vent unto). Check in here and over at Frequencysite.com whenever you have the chance. I hope not just the genre fans will join in here, but also all those who are visiting from Boing Boing who are interested in alternative distribution and media evolution.
This site will now return to its usual programming of cultural snark and political rants, until the next GF update.
Monday, June 20, 2005
Flu Wiki
Passed without comment, but seemingly in the spirit of recent developments, from the always eclectic Majikthise:
Go to Majikthise for the links and more.
"Sometime next week (we hope) three collaborating bloggers (Revere of Effect Measure, Melanie Mattson of Just a Bump in the Beltway, and demfromct of The Next Hurrah) plan to launch a new experiment in public health. Many knowledgeable people believe a serious pandemic from avian influenza is possible in the near future. In a highly interconnected world, the consequences could be grave, with widespread illness and mortality accompanied by major stress on the social system in almost every affected locality. Few, if any, national governmental authorities have prepared for this, despite adequate warning.
Because such an event would be geographically widespread it will leave each local area to cope with and solve problems on their own. In such a circumstance, any preparation, however limited, can save lives and suffering. And to make these local preparations, knowledge is not only empowering, but essential. Rather than leave these preparations solely to governmental authorities and rather than restrict knowledge to designated "experts," both of whom have failed to prepare adequately, it is necessary to begin to undertake many needed tasks ourselves. The Flu Wiki is our first try at a mechanism to facilitate this."
Go to Majikthise for the links and more.
Sunday, June 19, 2005
GF Reviews & E-mails
(NOTE: This thread begins HERE)
Most of you can ignore this post -- I'm putting it up for various suited humans who may wander by. Phone calls continue to be made. If -- BIG IF -- emails and cards need to be sent, we'll definitely take you up on your kind offers for help. That includes the folks from, I think, Scandinavia. Valiant effort with the Babelfish, guys.
Last week totaled out at an extra 10,000 hits to this website, and the website name is NOWHERE ON THE TORRENT -- that's just the people who took the extra effort to seek us out.
Things move slowly out here, but move they do ...
Also, to the couple thousand visitors and two hundred odd emailers and commenters, I'd like to pass on that the cast and director have been told about your enthusiasm. (Except Aimee. But she's young and hip, and will take a while to track down ...) They're all very moved that you've seen the work and responded. Thanks to you all.
I'd also like to remind you that illegal file-sharing is a bad, bad thing, and I in no way encourage it. All references to downloading sites will be immediately deleted from the this website. You, despite your enthusiasm, should be ashamed of yourselves. Ashamed.
Now, for a small sample for the suits (no links, and I think you know why) of responses from your emails, comments, and websites and messageboards around the world:
"one of the smartest and stylish pilots I've seen in all my years of watching the goggle box ... [If] the DVD comes out I'll have link to Amazon and a write-up on the show."
"Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank everyone for me, will you. Thank you all so much. Thank you. If you haven't noticed, I cannot stop saying this: thank you."
"... okay, I had tears in my eyes ..."
"When the show made me wipe the constant smile off my face with a wide grin I'd turn to [my girlfriend] and she's grinning too. We both tensed when a trigger was pulled and we both shivered slightly with the line 'You would have missed...' ... [Miranda Zero] never even got a f*cking chance to live, and I'm already quoting her. F*ck us then. F*ck us for putting up with the utter sh*t that spills from TV every second and not DEMANDING better. Because people out there are willing to give it."
"... one of the best 45 minutes of TV I've had the pleasure of watching."
"Just saw the Global Frequency pilot and, simply put it is the best pilot I've ever seen ...Every UK TV forum is buzzing with news of this ... Kudos on making such a brilliant show.
"... Like the best episodes of the X-Files ..."
"Watched it. Watched it again. Watched it a third time ... Simply amazing."
"... Better than possibly all other science fiction shows currently on the air. It has snappy dialog ... It has cool, convincing characters. It has situations you haven't seen before. It has weird science. But what's most cool is that it is all about a paradigm for global action that you can love whether you're red or blue -- ordinary people who are extraordinary in some way who are taking responsibility for fixing things that are broken, regardless of consequences, when the powers that be not only haven't asked them to, but would be pissed off at for trying."
"That was the worst written piece of garbage I have seen in a LONG TIME." (hey, how'd that get in here?)
"How can [anyone] turn down 'Mission Impossible' meets 'The X Files' ?"
"You'll never see this year's best new show ..."
"People have an amazing proclivity to accept and even embrace strange and new ideas. The show is WAY off beat and politically radicalized, and yet comforting and empowering ... It's really a tragedy this didn't work out."
"Moments of utter beauty intermingled with moments of complete horror ... It was even better than the Lost opening episode, which was the best of this year's shows ... I didn't just like this show, I loved it ..."
"I recently had a chance to see the Global Frequency pilot ... I loved it and I bought the entire comic run from Amazon this morning to share with a few friends."
"Just wanted to chime in on how much I loved the Global Frequency pilot ... Absolutely fantastic stuff. Ya'll did a good thing."
"Well, crap. As I finished watching the Global Frequency pilot that recently leaked on the Internet, I had the most bittersweet feeling I've ever had. There are few television shows that I can ever expect to be so original, unexpected and beautifully shot. Even though Global Frequency was one of the best pilots I can remember watching, I was angry and sad when it was over. How could it be possible that I would never see this story develop?"
"So I just wanted to say thank you for giving me even just one episode of a show that is different than anything else on TV. I won't forget it. And now that you've turned me onto the Global Frequency, I've at least got numerous comic stories to enjoy."
"Brilliant. F*cking brilliant."
"This show rocks so much ... Even my non-techie wife loved it.. and that's saying something loud and clear."
"Just finished watching the pilot. Holy f*cking sh*t. That would be the absolute best show on television. It is criminal that that's all we get ... Who can we write to? Who can we call? How can we get this show on the air?"
"WHO. DO. WE. WRITE. ABOUT. THIS?"
"It's 3AM and I just got done watching the show ... It. Was. Great. I got teary eyed at the end of the show, proud of what I think individuals CAN do when they put their mind to it."
"Watching this reminds me why I write. Thanks."
"... Unspeakably good ... I hate sci-fi TV. Flat-out-f*cking-hate-it. My favorite shows are Entourage and Rescue Me, and I loved it."
"It is a great, great, great, piece of TV. It seems like it had the potential to be loved and adored as much as "Lost," was this last season."
" ... I watched the pilot just now and it makes me really sad how much garbage gets on television, turns people -off- to television, and quality, interesting themes and premises like this one get thrown by the wayside ... done right, the Global Frequency can succeed ... Besides, Aleph is hot."
"I'd pay just to have an mp3 of that ringtone for the Global Frequency phones. How do I get one?" (Note: that tone was actually just a temp)
"The best new show of 2005"
"Wow. Just wow ... Anything I can do. Just... Anything."
"If you want to see the best pilot never turned into a series, check out Global Frequency."
"In today's Metro Newspaper which covers the central belt of Scotland, UK (That's Edinburgh to Glasgow) there's a letter: 'Get on the Global Frequency. More details to follow' signed Agent 483, Edinburgh. ... This newspaper has a circulation of about 1/4 million readers ... It's a daily and is the top daily newspaper read in the Central Belt of Scotland. Looks like someone is trying to get a message out there ..."
"I would certainly pay cash money up front to get a couple more episodes made."
Thanks to you all. Even if nothing comes of this, it's great to know we managed to give you 45 minutes of something you loved, something that got you excited, and at the very least something that may have helped many of you discover the comic book series (and put some coin into the corporate overlords' pockets, hint bloody hint).
Most of you can ignore this post -- I'm putting it up for various suited humans who may wander by. Phone calls continue to be made. If -- BIG IF -- emails and cards need to be sent, we'll definitely take you up on your kind offers for help. That includes the folks from, I think, Scandinavia. Valiant effort with the Babelfish, guys.
Last week totaled out at an extra 10,000 hits to this website, and the website name is NOWHERE ON THE TORRENT -- that's just the people who took the extra effort to seek us out.
Things move slowly out here, but move they do ...
Also, to the couple thousand visitors and two hundred odd emailers and commenters, I'd like to pass on that the cast and director have been told about your enthusiasm. (Except Aimee. But she's young and hip, and will take a while to track down ...) They're all very moved that you've seen the work and responded. Thanks to you all.
I'd also like to remind you that illegal file-sharing is a bad, bad thing, and I in no way encourage it. All references to downloading sites will be immediately deleted from the this website. You, despite your enthusiasm, should be ashamed of yourselves. Ashamed.
Now, for a small sample for the suits (no links, and I think you know why) of responses from your emails, comments, and websites and messageboards around the world:
"one of the smartest and stylish pilots I've seen in all my years of watching the goggle box ... [If] the DVD comes out I'll have link to Amazon and a write-up on the show."
"Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank everyone for me, will you. Thank you all so much. Thank you. If you haven't noticed, I cannot stop saying this: thank you."
"... okay, I had tears in my eyes ..."
"When the show made me wipe the constant smile off my face with a wide grin I'd turn to [my girlfriend] and she's grinning too. We both tensed when a trigger was pulled and we both shivered slightly with the line 'You would have missed...' ... [Miranda Zero] never even got a f*cking chance to live, and I'm already quoting her. F*ck us then. F*ck us for putting up with the utter sh*t that spills from TV every second and not DEMANDING better. Because people out there are willing to give it."
"... one of the best 45 minutes of TV I've had the pleasure of watching."
"Just saw the Global Frequency pilot and, simply put it is the best pilot I've ever seen ...Every UK TV forum is buzzing with news of this ... Kudos on making such a brilliant show.
"... Like the best episodes of the X-Files ..."
"Watched it. Watched it again. Watched it a third time ... Simply amazing."
"... Better than possibly all other science fiction shows currently on the air. It has snappy dialog ... It has cool, convincing characters. It has situations you haven't seen before. It has weird science. But what's most cool is that it is all about a paradigm for global action that you can love whether you're red or blue -- ordinary people who are extraordinary in some way who are taking responsibility for fixing things that are broken, regardless of consequences, when the powers that be not only haven't asked them to, but would be pissed off at for trying."
"That was the worst written piece of garbage I have seen in a LONG TIME." (hey, how'd that get in here?)
"How can [anyone] turn down 'Mission Impossible' meets 'The X Files' ?"
"You'll never see this year's best new show ..."
"People have an amazing proclivity to accept and even embrace strange and new ideas. The show is WAY off beat and politically radicalized, and yet comforting and empowering ... It's really a tragedy this didn't work out."
"Moments of utter beauty intermingled with moments of complete horror ... It was even better than the Lost opening episode, which was the best of this year's shows ... I didn't just like this show, I loved it ..."
"I recently had a chance to see the Global Frequency pilot ... I loved it and I bought the entire comic run from Amazon this morning to share with a few friends."
"Just wanted to chime in on how much I loved the Global Frequency pilot ... Absolutely fantastic stuff. Ya'll did a good thing."
"Well, crap. As I finished watching the Global Frequency pilot that recently leaked on the Internet, I had the most bittersweet feeling I've ever had. There are few television shows that I can ever expect to be so original, unexpected and beautifully shot. Even though Global Frequency was one of the best pilots I can remember watching, I was angry and sad when it was over. How could it be possible that I would never see this story develop?"
"So I just wanted to say thank you for giving me even just one episode of a show that is different than anything else on TV. I won't forget it. And now that you've turned me onto the Global Frequency, I've at least got numerous comic stories to enjoy."
"Brilliant. F*cking brilliant."
"This show rocks so much ... Even my non-techie wife loved it.. and that's saying something loud and clear."
"Just finished watching the pilot. Holy f*cking sh*t. That would be the absolute best show on television. It is criminal that that's all we get ... Who can we write to? Who can we call? How can we get this show on the air?"
"WHO. DO. WE. WRITE. ABOUT. THIS?"
"It's 3AM and I just got done watching the show ... It. Was. Great. I got teary eyed at the end of the show, proud of what I think individuals CAN do when they put their mind to it."
"Watching this reminds me why I write. Thanks."
"... Unspeakably good ... I hate sci-fi TV. Flat-out-f*cking-hate-it. My favorite shows are Entourage and Rescue Me, and I loved it."
"It is a great, great, great, piece of TV. It seems like it had the potential to be loved and adored as much as "Lost," was this last season."
" ... I watched the pilot just now and it makes me really sad how much garbage gets on television, turns people -off- to television, and quality, interesting themes and premises like this one get thrown by the wayside ... done right, the Global Frequency can succeed ... Besides, Aleph is hot."
"I'd pay just to have an mp3 of that ringtone for the Global Frequency phones. How do I get one?" (Note: that tone was actually just a temp)
"The best new show of 2005"
"Wow. Just wow ... Anything I can do. Just... Anything."
"If you want to see the best pilot never turned into a series, check out Global Frequency."
"In today's Metro Newspaper which covers the central belt of Scotland, UK (That's Edinburgh to Glasgow) there's a letter: 'Get on the Global Frequency. More details to follow' signed Agent 483, Edinburgh. ... This newspaper has a circulation of about 1/4 million readers ... It's a daily and is the top daily newspaper read in the Central Belt of Scotland. Looks like someone is trying to get a message out there ..."
"I would certainly pay cash money up front to get a couple more episodes made."
Thanks to you all. Even if nothing comes of this, it's great to know we managed to give you 45 minutes of something you loved, something that got you excited, and at the very least something that may have helped many of you discover the comic book series (and put some coin into the corporate overlords' pockets, hint bloody hint).
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