The entire series is only eight full hour episodes thanks to executive meddling. However those eight episodes never fail to deliver an intense experience for the viewer. There are times where the series is so overwhelming that I (who can binge through 8 hours of other shows at a time) could barely sit through two without taking a break to absorb what I had just experienced.
****SPOILERS****
The series features fantastic visuals from its filmed location in South Africa. The mountains look alien to us and the rest of the landscape has this feeling of unfamiliarity since most shows we view in the USA are filmed either in Vancouver BC or somewhere near LA.
The human race is nearly dead on earth from nuclear war and other atrocities. Our last attempt to save our selves resulted in the development of an antimatter drive to get us to the nearest habitable world that is in the show called Carpathia. Immediately we are thrown into drama as news of the last transport from earth reaches the Colonial President and his security staff.
Their systems aren't in great shape and many die on the landing and it is well shown how this impacts the welfare of the colony for the worse. The series antagonist arrives amongst the survivors of this transport.
What is fantastic about this series is that it concentrates on what it means to be human including genetically altered humans called "AC's" which stands for Advanced Cultivars. They were blamed for a virus and exiled from the main colony years ago. They were supposed to be shot...slaughtered like sick cattle but the President spared them despite losing his own children to a virus called C23 (Carpathia Virus 23). These AC's constantly turn up and are violent but not unreasonable. At one point we see their leader communing with some planetary force/incorporeal beings.
The colony's birth rate is slowing to a crawl due to some unknown reason, and the AC's who had been rendered infertile apparently have begun having children. How this is possible is related to the unknown incorporeals who we later find out communicate in some sort of hypersonic language that can manipulate DNA.
So our protagonists find all of this out and manage to come up with a sonic shield (resonant jammer of some kind) just in time to foil a coup by the antagonist and save the lives of at least some of the characters wearing plot armor. Oh yes while all of the plots were going on the planet was trying to slowly kill all of the colonists.
The President is often visited by the 'host force' as they call it on the show and at first it appears to him as his dead children. later the force manifests as an alternate version of him. They converse and we learn a lot. The host force does not like most of the humans although it seems to be happy with the AC's for no reason given. It is likely that explanation was meant for season two. This is especially obvious with how it ends.
The ending - its a cliff hangar ending with the arrival of a secret (and likely militaristic) transport from earth (CT10 - Carpathia Transport 10) and the self imposed exile of one of the protagonists who finds out that she is a special type of AC called an Omega. Instead of altered body she has an altered mind. The implications of this are only hinted at as is the fact that the President was involved so deep in the project that his own genes were used as part of her creation.
The series well explores human frailty, violence, compassion and forgiveness. It also explores to a rather cynical degree the destructiveness of religion and spiritualism...or at least the insincere kind. Sincere spiritual belief is not shown, rather it is shown as a front for hucksters, frauds and wolves in shepherds clothing. This may be due to a writers bias or an internal consistency of how events happened on that fictional Earth. Perhaps religious fervor lead to the wars of annihilation that are alluded to? Either way the President is a very secular man...but not militantly so. He prefers people to be rational and not spiritually oriented, but even to the antagonist he only warns him not to proselytize when conducting his official state duties as a councilman. The antagonist of course always defies him as a way to undermine his authority and yet the President retains a cool head throughout.
The acting is overall well done and the production values are appropriate. The sets are well made for what the colony is...a last desperate escape from a ruined world.
The problem with this series is - The writers should not have had a cliff hangar for the season 1 finale. If you don't know that you're coming back for a second season...don't write your series in such a manner as it leaves you only the options of a second season!
They could have left out the landing of the CT10 and simply had it still in transit. That would have allowed for a better sense of things being wrapped up but each plot arc also was a cliff hangar so...really the network should have committed after seeing episode 1 and 2 to a second season. The show is very high level for sci-fi which mostly devolves into a fantastical action series rather than a deeper exploration of the human condition. There is action but only to forward the story and not for its own sake. The action creates character development as does the day to day living situations with families and their precious children.
It really is a shame more shows aren't like this in the quality of writing. If there was one show that deserves a return to the air it is Outcasts.
Monday, September 29, 2014
Monday, August 18, 2014
Dragon Age II - Trying it after a few years
Well I started a new female Hawke mage.
Glaring mistake right away? They remove the ability to have a meaningful choice right away when the mere choosing of your class means that one sibling or the other will die.
They could have made it a choice on who to save but nope...its just a function of your class. That is about 5 minutes into the game.
So then you're in cutscenes for the next 30 fucking minutes accomplishing almost nothing in game. Literally nothing but cinematics...and then you're set free in the most empty of cities to ever have claimed to be too full of refugees to let more in.
Then you meet the only good character in the entire game (Varric Tethras) aside from Bethany (who in this case is dead). And then you're left in neutral. The cutscenes do nothing in the game at this point except take up space and give you some narrative.
So the entire game ends of feeling like you just played through david gaider's novels and had no choice whatsoever. Sure the protagonist is fully voiced and the game is smooth as heck. No question that much of it was well done. But after playing even Mass Effect 2, 3 and other newer games it not only shows its age but also the lack of detail and love that was put into it.
This was the real abortion that came out of EA and honestly was a prelude to what we'd see in ME3...which was still much better than DA2. DA2 suffered from producers not fighting for their teams. The entire game could have been fantastic...like the Legacy DLC was. And it was fantastic. But they screwed it up and didn't have the courage to admit it. Nor did they come up with a solution. They pumped out crappy DLC and much much later after libraries full of criticism finally kinda half heartedly admitted they screwed up. And only promised to do better next time.
Now - Over four years later they are about to release Dragon Age Inquisition. I do hope it is what fans expect it to be. But I am not holding out too much hope. I have seen quite a bit of gameplay and well...it looks promising. One can only hope that the writing is much improved and we don't have mooks jumping out of walls in stupid wave spawns.
DA2 - Chapter 1 Flaws
1) Gamlen's House - feels more like a mission hub than a home. Not enough to do and doesn't feel important after initial family missions
2) Lowtown - Feels empty in the day time and at night its a ghost town
3) No city guard patrols...even after you get Butch Ginger Valkyrie in charge of everything.
4) the city feels very tiny - no real exploration
5) You can't kill Sister Petrice even after she betrays you - she's wearing plot armor and it is inexcusable.
6) Arishok most sympathetic character - and yet he is forced to be your enemy. You should have been able to help him take over the city. But of course that would have completely messed the plot for the rest of the game...showing you how flimsy the entire plot is in the first place.
7) Blood Magery - stupid female elf mage is a blood mage. You can't turn her in to the chantry nor kill her. She's so witless it hurts and that just isn't cute. Her motivations aren't strong enough nor is she honest with you from the beginning because she is in collusion with demons.
8) Thrask and his mages - makes no sense in its resolution. You can change nothing about it. Your attitude affects nothing except companion perception. Another 'decision' without consequence.
9) You've already seen several levels reused by now and Fenris is a slob.
DA2 - Deep Roads (Pending)
Glaring mistake right away? They remove the ability to have a meaningful choice right away when the mere choosing of your class means that one sibling or the other will die.
They could have made it a choice on who to save but nope...its just a function of your class. That is about 5 minutes into the game.
So then you're in cutscenes for the next 30 fucking minutes accomplishing almost nothing in game. Literally nothing but cinematics...and then you're set free in the most empty of cities to ever have claimed to be too full of refugees to let more in.
Then you meet the only good character in the entire game (Varric Tethras) aside from Bethany (who in this case is dead). And then you're left in neutral. The cutscenes do nothing in the game at this point except take up space and give you some narrative.
So the entire game ends of feeling like you just played through david gaider's novels and had no choice whatsoever. Sure the protagonist is fully voiced and the game is smooth as heck. No question that much of it was well done. But after playing even Mass Effect 2, 3 and other newer games it not only shows its age but also the lack of detail and love that was put into it.
This was the real abortion that came out of EA and honestly was a prelude to what we'd see in ME3...which was still much better than DA2. DA2 suffered from producers not fighting for their teams. The entire game could have been fantastic...like the Legacy DLC was. And it was fantastic. But they screwed it up and didn't have the courage to admit it. Nor did they come up with a solution. They pumped out crappy DLC and much much later after libraries full of criticism finally kinda half heartedly admitted they screwed up. And only promised to do better next time.
Now - Over four years later they are about to release Dragon Age Inquisition. I do hope it is what fans expect it to be. But I am not holding out too much hope. I have seen quite a bit of gameplay and well...it looks promising. One can only hope that the writing is much improved and we don't have mooks jumping out of walls in stupid wave spawns.
DA2 - Chapter 1 Flaws
1) Gamlen's House - feels more like a mission hub than a home. Not enough to do and doesn't feel important after initial family missions
2) Lowtown - Feels empty in the day time and at night its a ghost town
3) No city guard patrols...even after you get Butch Ginger Valkyrie in charge of everything.
4) the city feels very tiny - no real exploration
5) You can't kill Sister Petrice even after she betrays you - she's wearing plot armor and it is inexcusable.
6) Arishok most sympathetic character - and yet he is forced to be your enemy. You should have been able to help him take over the city. But of course that would have completely messed the plot for the rest of the game...showing you how flimsy the entire plot is in the first place.
7) Blood Magery - stupid female elf mage is a blood mage. You can't turn her in to the chantry nor kill her. She's so witless it hurts and that just isn't cute. Her motivations aren't strong enough nor is she honest with you from the beginning because she is in collusion with demons.
8) Thrask and his mages - makes no sense in its resolution. You can change nothing about it. Your attitude affects nothing except companion perception. Another 'decision' without consequence.
9) You've already seen several levels reused by now and Fenris is a slob.
DA2 - Deep Roads (Pending)
Friday, August 01, 2014
The Mass Butterfly Effect
Mass Effect 3 - The end of Trilogy 1 - The Shepard Cycle
Though there are different flavors of each of the three basic endings it is important going forward to focus on the three basics and how they will affect the future.
Destruction - Shepard may live or die depending on war assets. EDI dies, the Geth asplode and tremendous damage occurs to the entire tech base of Galactic civilization. The Citadel is likely also destroyed or in terrible shape. No more Reapers (though maybe some still exist in dark space for all we know).
The future: The Cycle is over. Reapers (at least in this galaxy) are dead and the rest are without the guidance of the citadel's systems...perhaps they will appear someday if they exist at all. The Galaxy will be rebuilding and whatever the main protagonist does it will be as an N7 operator.
Given that ending this game should have the most news about rebuilding and recolonization. It is also possible that the Krogan are dying if you chose to sabotage the genophage cure. The Geth are extinct and the Quarians are probably a non-factor having most likely concentrated on rebuilding their homeworld. With no Geth resistance they are free to rebuild...but without the geth help they COULD get in other endings they are probably still in poor shape and probably not a part of this trilogy in any manner.
The Geth...dead
The Krogan...dead or dying (perhaps still a chance to save them as we know for sure they are in Future Mass Effect).
Humans - Duh we're so vain that it acts as actual plot armor against extinction
Asari - yeah they should be around being one of the most advanced and wide spread civilizations
Batarians - Most likely extinct. Even if they are still around in some minor fashion they are a non-factor
Raloi - Perhaps the Reaper War passed them by since we never saw any of them ascended for Shepard and crew to kill.
Turians - In bad shape...most of their fleet destroyed and their planet cratered by the reapers...like Earth it would be in recovery but still have massive scars. Also a long time space-faring race they will be wide spread like the Asari.
Salarians - In the best shape probably. They are the second longest space-faring race of this current cycle and they would appear to have suffered little to no damage to their home world during the Reaper War. Possible repercussions with the Krogan. Would also put them at odds with Turians politically speaking.
Quarians: They could also be dead
Control - This is Shepard's favorite store on The Citadel! Shepard's ghost now controls the Reapers...making them a protective force and they probably helped rebuild everything. The Reapers are still giants astride the galaxy and should be seen around helping and protecting.
The galactic infrastructure should be beyond what exists - but perhaps people only criticize Shepard's parental control quietly. He might not be the kindest of despots. All of the council races should be closely tied and cooperating.
Humans - Earth rebuilt - probably now has its own reaper protection force
Turians - Palaven rebuilt - Probably with its own force of reapers to protect it
Asari - as above for Thessia
Salarians - Had few Reaper problems...probably now have Reaper guardians as well anyhow.
Krogan - could be dying still...or genophage cured
Raloi - who the fuck knows
Quarians - Perhaps they're dead - if alive they are rebuilding rannoch...if the geth are also alive the geth are helping them rebuild...and perhaps they chose to leave the galaxy behind.
Batarians - perhaps they have been able to rebuild with Shepard's help.
EDI likely survived as did the rest of your comrades - hey maybe you got Liara preggers!
Synthesis - The 'best' ending you can hope for. Requires the most war assets and requires you to have both deleted the geth heretics and blown up the reaper base beyond the omega 4 relay. The citadel is probably somehow now self aware...or at least self maintaining. The Keepers are likely released from their servitude somehow. Galactic infrastructure is not merely on par but likely above where it would be under the control option.
This best ending means everyone survived and is now enhanced...all life in the galaxy is now enhanced not just that which had direct contact with the Reapers. Life has now truly ascended. Beyond visual distinctiveness there should be some manner of other advancement seen.
Humans - Earth not only rebuilt but in a golden age
Asari - same as Earth
Turians - same as Earth
Salarians - Probably also in a Golden Age
Krogan - genophage cure being required for this ending...they are also in a golden age and Tuchanka is blooming. All past transgressions are put aside.
Raloi - Perhaps mistrustful (if they are in the game) since they have been forcibly altered by Shepard.
Geth & Quarians - Rannoch is rebuilt and the joint Quarian/Geth society is ascendent. Perhaps they are in a period of isolation or perhaps have fled the galaxy together.
Batarians - probably still rebuilding but better off than in any other scenario. Perhaps we get a trip to Khar'Shan?
In all of the scenarios it is likely that we have moved beyond the use of Mass Effect Relays to explore the Galaxy in a wider and more flexible manner.
My hopes - choices mean something. And endings mean something. Far enough into the future and the differences even out...but there would be massive changes at least in dialogue if not the actual appearance of the game!
Welp
Though there are different flavors of each of the three basic endings it is important going forward to focus on the three basics and how they will affect the future.
Destruction - Shepard may live or die depending on war assets. EDI dies, the Geth asplode and tremendous damage occurs to the entire tech base of Galactic civilization. The Citadel is likely also destroyed or in terrible shape. No more Reapers (though maybe some still exist in dark space for all we know).
The future: The Cycle is over. Reapers (at least in this galaxy) are dead and the rest are without the guidance of the citadel's systems...perhaps they will appear someday if they exist at all. The Galaxy will be rebuilding and whatever the main protagonist does it will be as an N7 operator.
Given that ending this game should have the most news about rebuilding and recolonization. It is also possible that the Krogan are dying if you chose to sabotage the genophage cure. The Geth are extinct and the Quarians are probably a non-factor having most likely concentrated on rebuilding their homeworld. With no Geth resistance they are free to rebuild...but without the geth help they COULD get in other endings they are probably still in poor shape and probably not a part of this trilogy in any manner.
The Geth...dead
The Krogan...dead or dying (perhaps still a chance to save them as we know for sure they are in Future Mass Effect).
Humans - Duh we're so vain that it acts as actual plot armor against extinction
Asari - yeah they should be around being one of the most advanced and wide spread civilizations
Batarians - Most likely extinct. Even if they are still around in some minor fashion they are a non-factor
Raloi - Perhaps the Reaper War passed them by since we never saw any of them ascended for Shepard and crew to kill.
Turians - In bad shape...most of their fleet destroyed and their planet cratered by the reapers...like Earth it would be in recovery but still have massive scars. Also a long time space-faring race they will be wide spread like the Asari.
Salarians - In the best shape probably. They are the second longest space-faring race of this current cycle and they would appear to have suffered little to no damage to their home world during the Reaper War. Possible repercussions with the Krogan. Would also put them at odds with Turians politically speaking.
Quarians: They could also be dead
Control - This is Shepard's favorite store on The Citadel! Shepard's ghost now controls the Reapers...making them a protective force and they probably helped rebuild everything. The Reapers are still giants astride the galaxy and should be seen around helping and protecting.
The galactic infrastructure should be beyond what exists - but perhaps people only criticize Shepard's parental control quietly. He might not be the kindest of despots. All of the council races should be closely tied and cooperating.
Humans - Earth rebuilt - probably now has its own reaper protection force
Turians - Palaven rebuilt - Probably with its own force of reapers to protect it
Asari - as above for Thessia
Salarians - Had few Reaper problems...probably now have Reaper guardians as well anyhow.
Krogan - could be dying still...or genophage cured
Raloi - who the fuck knows
Quarians - Perhaps they're dead - if alive they are rebuilding rannoch...if the geth are also alive the geth are helping them rebuild...and perhaps they chose to leave the galaxy behind.
Batarians - perhaps they have been able to rebuild with Shepard's help.
EDI likely survived as did the rest of your comrades - hey maybe you got Liara preggers!
Synthesis - The 'best' ending you can hope for. Requires the most war assets and requires you to have both deleted the geth heretics and blown up the reaper base beyond the omega 4 relay. The citadel is probably somehow now self aware...or at least self maintaining. The Keepers are likely released from their servitude somehow. Galactic infrastructure is not merely on par but likely above where it would be under the control option.
This best ending means everyone survived and is now enhanced...all life in the galaxy is now enhanced not just that which had direct contact with the Reapers. Life has now truly ascended. Beyond visual distinctiveness there should be some manner of other advancement seen.
Humans - Earth not only rebuilt but in a golden age
Asari - same as Earth
Turians - same as Earth
Salarians - Probably also in a Golden Age
Krogan - genophage cure being required for this ending...they are also in a golden age and Tuchanka is blooming. All past transgressions are put aside.
Raloi - Perhaps mistrustful (if they are in the game) since they have been forcibly altered by Shepard.
Geth & Quarians - Rannoch is rebuilt and the joint Quarian/Geth society is ascendent. Perhaps they are in a period of isolation or perhaps have fled the galaxy together.
Batarians - probably still rebuilding but better off than in any other scenario. Perhaps we get a trip to Khar'Shan?
In all of the scenarios it is likely that we have moved beyond the use of Mass Effect Relays to explore the Galaxy in a wider and more flexible manner.
My hopes - choices mean something. And endings mean something. Far enough into the future and the differences even out...but there would be massive changes at least in dialogue if not the actual appearance of the game!
Welp
Friday, June 06, 2014
Rubicon - An under appreciated series
Rubicon, one of AMC's first generation of original series from 2010 was based around the political thrillers of the 1970's including "The Parallax View". One of the many complaints about the series was a distinct lack of action. The episodic arcs are punctuated by action...but sudden action. There are no fight scenes, no struggles involving hand to hand combat. In fact most *action* happens off screen. The suspense is in the mundane. Walking to work, office politics and general issues of trust and the human relationships. The series is meant to address the issues of the feeding cycle of private and public and the use of intelligence for private profit reasons and the lengths that people will go to protect the moneyed interests.
Some thought the plot was slow to develop but to me the tediousness of the plot adds to the suspense and the sense of unease and stress. The uncovering of a conspiracy is difficult and the series portrays the difficulties involved especially as part of a private contractor in the intelligence division. The human relationship drama is the core of it all and the series concentrates on that. There are no action heroes...that isn't this story. The internal conflict and drama isn't overwrought like in shows such as SCANDAL and the like.
The personalities never quite get enough time to develop where the viewer is invested in the characters. This is of course the horror of the mundane...fairly Kafkaesque with the frustrations of the analysis teams and the layers of bureaucracy and territorial gate keepers that frustrate and foil attempts at genuine good will and effort.
The show isn't tedious to me, rather it is deep and thoughtful. I would say that most people don't have the attention span or curiosity intellectually to even desire to process all that goes on. Most dramas are filled with actors being large hams (a la nicholas cage). They are volatile, flawed in grossly obvious ways and have skills that accentuate their vulnerabilities. In Rubicon the characters give off the initial appearance of being relatively well adjusted...slightly distracted but otherwise stable. Sure they have some self-destructive tendencies (pomposity, drinking/drug related issues, social preoccupation, or lack of self confidence) but their redeeming qualities are also mundane. They care about their jobs, they work hard and they suffer daily of the same agonizing things that are common to anyone else in a stressful occupation with failing relationships and they are consumed by it. That same consumption is part of their internal drive to exceed and analyze. They don't ham it up on screen. There is some light situation comedy with the big boss having his smoke filter fan die so he has to crack a window. Even the man at the top has his addiction that he needs to satisfy...his vulnerability. Not much is made of it, but in the intelligence world personal habits are a good thing to catalog.
The show deserved a second season perhaps with the main character starting at the CIA or NSA proper as the head of some international desk. The plot could have extended into international conglomerates and even more shadowy market manipulations. The rabbit hole is lovely dark and deep...On top of it by the third season we could return to the good ole US of A for a look at election season politics and how that shows up in intelligence analysis. Much could be made of think-tanks, NGO's (election observers) and various domestic extremists.
Sadly again this requires of the viewer a good attention span and focus. The plots are thoughtful rather than overstated and the drama is written on the character's faces rather than spoken aloud. It is about what goes unsaid more than what is said and I have a feeling that the show needed something more to hook the viewer. The drama might have appeared to be too mundane or the cracks didn't show enough. The truth is that people hide their cracks...even the most mentally disturbed people can put on a convincing facade for short periods so when someone in a drama melts down it makes no sense unless the pressure is immediate and acute. And the realism behind Rubicon delivers too little in the way of hammed up drama because no one is passing the idiot ball. Everyone is a rational actor and isn't screwing up left and right simply due to overwrought character flaws.
Shows like Revenge and Scandal are overwrought hammed up shows. And we see they get many many seasons and people are engrossed in these fantastical characters. Show them a real person with a deep and thoughtful personality (perhaps with a quirk of melancholy or pensiveness) and you get a shrug of apathy. Quite sad. Rubicon deserves another go now four years later.
Some thought the plot was slow to develop but to me the tediousness of the plot adds to the suspense and the sense of unease and stress. The uncovering of a conspiracy is difficult and the series portrays the difficulties involved especially as part of a private contractor in the intelligence division. The human relationship drama is the core of it all and the series concentrates on that. There are no action heroes...that isn't this story. The internal conflict and drama isn't overwrought like in shows such as SCANDAL and the like.
The personalities never quite get enough time to develop where the viewer is invested in the characters. This is of course the horror of the mundane...fairly Kafkaesque with the frustrations of the analysis teams and the layers of bureaucracy and territorial gate keepers that frustrate and foil attempts at genuine good will and effort.
The show isn't tedious to me, rather it is deep and thoughtful. I would say that most people don't have the attention span or curiosity intellectually to even desire to process all that goes on. Most dramas are filled with actors being large hams (a la nicholas cage). They are volatile, flawed in grossly obvious ways and have skills that accentuate their vulnerabilities. In Rubicon the characters give off the initial appearance of being relatively well adjusted...slightly distracted but otherwise stable. Sure they have some self-destructive tendencies (pomposity, drinking/drug related issues, social preoccupation, or lack of self confidence) but their redeeming qualities are also mundane. They care about their jobs, they work hard and they suffer daily of the same agonizing things that are common to anyone else in a stressful occupation with failing relationships and they are consumed by it. That same consumption is part of their internal drive to exceed and analyze. They don't ham it up on screen. There is some light situation comedy with the big boss having his smoke filter fan die so he has to crack a window. Even the man at the top has his addiction that he needs to satisfy...his vulnerability. Not much is made of it, but in the intelligence world personal habits are a good thing to catalog.
The show deserved a second season perhaps with the main character starting at the CIA or NSA proper as the head of some international desk. The plot could have extended into international conglomerates and even more shadowy market manipulations. The rabbit hole is lovely dark and deep...On top of it by the third season we could return to the good ole US of A for a look at election season politics and how that shows up in intelligence analysis. Much could be made of think-tanks, NGO's (election observers) and various domestic extremists.
Sadly again this requires of the viewer a good attention span and focus. The plots are thoughtful rather than overstated and the drama is written on the character's faces rather than spoken aloud. It is about what goes unsaid more than what is said and I have a feeling that the show needed something more to hook the viewer. The drama might have appeared to be too mundane or the cracks didn't show enough. The truth is that people hide their cracks...even the most mentally disturbed people can put on a convincing facade for short periods so when someone in a drama melts down it makes no sense unless the pressure is immediate and acute. And the realism behind Rubicon delivers too little in the way of hammed up drama because no one is passing the idiot ball. Everyone is a rational actor and isn't screwing up left and right simply due to overwrought character flaws.
Shows like Revenge and Scandal are overwrought hammed up shows. And we see they get many many seasons and people are engrossed in these fantastical characters. Show them a real person with a deep and thoughtful personality (perhaps with a quirk of melancholy or pensiveness) and you get a shrug of apathy. Quite sad. Rubicon deserves another go now four years later.
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Ann Coulter Misses The Point
Her new opinion piece HERE
Step 1) insist that raising the minimum wage will result in people being fired.
Step 2) Show lower unemployment in countries with higher minimum wages
Step 3) Ignore the whole velocity of money and marginal utilities ideas presented in econ 101
Step 4) Create Red Herring
Step 5) Scape Goat the Red Herring
Immigration policies are partly a red herring in terms of buying down the price of wages. It is contributory but not solely responsible. Oddly enough her friends over at the Chamber of Commerce are very very much for expanding permissive immigration/guest worker policies. (You don't say!)
Step 1) insist that raising the minimum wage will result in people being fired.
Step 2) Show lower unemployment in countries with higher minimum wages
Step 3) Ignore the whole velocity of money and marginal utilities ideas presented in econ 101
Step 4) Create Red Herring
Step 5) Scape Goat the Red Herring
Immigration policies are partly a red herring in terms of buying down the price of wages. It is contributory but not solely responsible. Oddly enough her friends over at the Chamber of Commerce are very very much for expanding permissive immigration/guest worker policies. (You don't say!)
Monday, March 17, 2014
Good Gravy In the Crimea
As many have seen in recent days the events surrounding the so-called protests in The Ukraine have continued to escalate though not in a linear fashion. The West (EU/US/NATO) was engaging in a campaign of agents provocateur to bring into power a regime favorable to a NATO and EU alliance.
That evidence is in plain view via the diplomatic efforts of the USA including and living up to the trope of 'Cookie Pushing'. Additionally the US ambassador (cookie pusher) also had a conversation leaked where she was discussing who among the opposition parties were most acceptable to the US/EU. Well we all know 'acceptable' is code word for who can be most easily pressured or bought off. Of course the media made a big ado about her other comment in that call, 'Fuck the EU'. Well that was just her being candid about whose national interest was most at play here. What upset the EU wasn't the comment but rather they probably thought the USA had at least some of their interest in mind and this revealed that it was clearly playing all sides against each other.
Russia on the other hand during most of this was hosting the Olympic Games. So while the world was watching Putin began various staging maneuvers and then as quickly as he could inserted special forces into the Crimea as the Ukraine's government began to collapse. Sevastopol is Russia's largest naval base in the area, the people are Russian speaking (so bet on them all getting Russian passports as a token/piece of propaganda) and though many favor an independent Crimea it is unlikely to happen. Russia appears resurgent.
The United States, having destabilized Syria was attempting a similar method of attack in the Ukraine. Much of this policy comes from white papers written by Susan Powers, Cass Sunstein and others like them. All of these policies are underwritten By George Soros and the Tides Foundation at large as part of the 'Open Society' Project. Of course in this society there is this philosophy of the 'Right to Protect' where Team America World Police is more of a reality than a comedy. These same leftists who criticized G.W. Bush for his foreign excursions are simply continuing the same imperialist policies; albeit in a more nuanced fashion.
The Crimea is an important location both geographically and historically. Geographically is it strategically located in the Black Sea and cordons off the Sea of Azov. Its many excellent ports are dominated by the Russian Navy and up until quite recently Sevastopol was a closed city belonging to the Russians though inside Ukrainian lands.
UPDATE
Crimean citizens voted in a referendum over the weekend to become independent of The Ukraine and to join Russia by a staggering 96.8%. This means a couple things. First it further legitimizes Putin's push westward to reclaim former Soviet republics and secondly that EU/US/NATO policy is failing. For good or ill the US has pushed a destabilization of the Ukraine in order to get them closer to the EU/NATO side. Additionally covert/false flag operations inside Kiev resulted in the overthrow of current/former (depending on your POV) Yanukovych. The people installed by the US/EU/NATO are now dealing with insurrection and the threat of invasion and annexation. The United States will not stop Russia militarily.
As a result of the Crimean referendum the US/EU have imposed travel sanctions against Russian officials. Russia will likely respond with the same. It is odd for a nation such as mine (the USA) to go out openly against a people deciding what nation they wish to be a part of. Self-determination is a part of our culture and a part of the UN charter and one would think that we would be for a nation or a group of people to decide what political affiliation they want. Instead we are installing puppet governments and opposing democratic movements world wide.
The question then becomes..not why because we know that there is some national interest driving this...but rather 'What is the national interest being so keenly hidden from the public that is driving this conflict?'. When you have George Soros coming out and saying that the future of the EU depends on the Ukraine it is something special. And more so...why is the EU in such dire need of expansion to include the Ukraine?
And here we get into some dark territory. The Ukraine's economy is the size of the estimated fraud within the EU economy as it is so much larger. The Ukraine has a precarious amount of debt that is cannot repay. The real power struggle seems outlined HERE without the author really knowing it. This is why George Soros is speaking out (or one of the reasons). The other reasons have to do with natural gas/oil exploration and transportation in the region. This has absolutely nothing to do with what is good for the people of the Ukraine on any side. They are meat-sack numbers as a friend once told me. That is how the government sees you and that is how they will treat you. The Ukraine would be used as another location in the ever present race to the bottom in terms of labor pricing. At the same time more immigration would happen in Europe as a search for more jobs would happen. The flood of Ukrainians into Poland and Germany and nations farther west would begin to drive the price of labor lower for everyone. The increased profits over time would flow upward and that is what Soros is after. It is just more piracy.
The Ukrainians are pawns in an international banking scheme and Russia is simply trying to get a larger part of that scheme. No one is a good guy here and it would be foolish to think so. Is one evil better than than the other? I for one don't like evil at all and the people of Crimea had a slim chance to choose neither. Instead they chose to be closer to their historical and ethnic ties. Only time will tell if that is preferable to real independence or partnership with the EU.
That evidence is in plain view via the diplomatic efforts of the USA including and living up to the trope of 'Cookie Pushing'. Additionally the US ambassador (cookie pusher) also had a conversation leaked where she was discussing who among the opposition parties were most acceptable to the US/EU. Well we all know 'acceptable' is code word for who can be most easily pressured or bought off. Of course the media made a big ado about her other comment in that call, 'Fuck the EU'. Well that was just her being candid about whose national interest was most at play here. What upset the EU wasn't the comment but rather they probably thought the USA had at least some of their interest in mind and this revealed that it was clearly playing all sides against each other.
Russia on the other hand during most of this was hosting the Olympic Games. So while the world was watching Putin began various staging maneuvers and then as quickly as he could inserted special forces into the Crimea as the Ukraine's government began to collapse. Sevastopol is Russia's largest naval base in the area, the people are Russian speaking (so bet on them all getting Russian passports as a token/piece of propaganda) and though many favor an independent Crimea it is unlikely to happen. Russia appears resurgent.
The United States, having destabilized Syria was attempting a similar method of attack in the Ukraine. Much of this policy comes from white papers written by Susan Powers, Cass Sunstein and others like them. All of these policies are underwritten By George Soros and the Tides Foundation at large as part of the 'Open Society' Project. Of course in this society there is this philosophy of the 'Right to Protect' where Team America World Police is more of a reality than a comedy. These same leftists who criticized G.W. Bush for his foreign excursions are simply continuing the same imperialist policies; albeit in a more nuanced fashion.
The Crimea is an important location both geographically and historically. Geographically is it strategically located in the Black Sea and cordons off the Sea of Azov. Its many excellent ports are dominated by the Russian Navy and up until quite recently Sevastopol was a closed city belonging to the Russians though inside Ukrainian lands.
UPDATE
Crimean citizens voted in a referendum over the weekend to become independent of The Ukraine and to join Russia by a staggering 96.8%. This means a couple things. First it further legitimizes Putin's push westward to reclaim former Soviet republics and secondly that EU/US/NATO policy is failing. For good or ill the US has pushed a destabilization of the Ukraine in order to get them closer to the EU/NATO side. Additionally covert/false flag operations inside Kiev resulted in the overthrow of current/former (depending on your POV) Yanukovych. The people installed by the US/EU/NATO are now dealing with insurrection and the threat of invasion and annexation. The United States will not stop Russia militarily.
As a result of the Crimean referendum the US/EU have imposed travel sanctions against Russian officials. Russia will likely respond with the same. It is odd for a nation such as mine (the USA) to go out openly against a people deciding what nation they wish to be a part of. Self-determination is a part of our culture and a part of the UN charter and one would think that we would be for a nation or a group of people to decide what political affiliation they want. Instead we are installing puppet governments and opposing democratic movements world wide.
The question then becomes..not why because we know that there is some national interest driving this...but rather 'What is the national interest being so keenly hidden from the public that is driving this conflict?'. When you have George Soros coming out and saying that the future of the EU depends on the Ukraine it is something special. And more so...why is the EU in such dire need of expansion to include the Ukraine?
And here we get into some dark territory. The Ukraine's economy is the size of the estimated fraud within the EU economy as it is so much larger. The Ukraine has a precarious amount of debt that is cannot repay. The real power struggle seems outlined HERE without the author really knowing it. This is why George Soros is speaking out (or one of the reasons). The other reasons have to do with natural gas/oil exploration and transportation in the region. This has absolutely nothing to do with what is good for the people of the Ukraine on any side. They are meat-sack numbers as a friend once told me. That is how the government sees you and that is how they will treat you. The Ukraine would be used as another location in the ever present race to the bottom in terms of labor pricing. At the same time more immigration would happen in Europe as a search for more jobs would happen. The flood of Ukrainians into Poland and Germany and nations farther west would begin to drive the price of labor lower for everyone. The increased profits over time would flow upward and that is what Soros is after. It is just more piracy.
The Ukrainians are pawns in an international banking scheme and Russia is simply trying to get a larger part of that scheme. No one is a good guy here and it would be foolish to think so. Is one evil better than than the other? I for one don't like evil at all and the people of Crimea had a slim chance to choose neither. Instead they chose to be closer to their historical and ethnic ties. Only time will tell if that is preferable to real independence or partnership with the EU.
Friday, March 14, 2014
Afloat in a Starry Sea
I don't know about anyone else but now just like when I was young I look up at the night sky with awe. Out there just beyond my grasp is an entire universe of *stuff*. By stuff I mean more stars, more planets, more of everything we have here.
In our own solar system we have for the purposes of our species at present an infinite amount of material for construction and fuel and living space. And yet still more exists in our local neighborhood however that may be defined by cosmologists. And farther out EVEN MORE. And yet here we sit...floating in this starry sea of stuff acting as if scarcity is an actual thing rather than a self-imposed limit.
The United States alone could go to the moon and start a colony there if it so desired. As a nation it could do this within five years. The EU and China could also engage in such an activity. So why would they not do it you ask? Risk aversion, political power, general ineptitude and lack of foresight.
What does the Moon have?
Helium 3 - This is important for nuclear fusion and even charged particle drives (ion drives) and likely other applications we haven't even considered yet.
A Dark Side: Useful for deep solar system and space obervatories and automated interferometric sensor equipment and for communications beyond line of sight in the solar system.
A Light Side: Solar power, habitation areas dug into the lunar regolith.
How can we do these things?
We already have the patents and engineering designs for habitation modules and subselene nuclear powered tunnel boring machines that melt their way through the lunar rock using liquid lithium pipes and automated muck removal systems. That by the way was worked out in the 1980's. Today's machines would be more efficient by a large degree.
So what use would the moon be other than for fusion/ion fuel?
A low gravity staging point for exploration and exploitation of the solar system and its resources. It is the natural jumping-off point for a Mars expedition and colony. It is a ready-made observatory and it doesn't really have an environment to despoil aside from the portions that we want to inhabit or view from Earth.
Can we do it?
Yes
Should we do it?
Yes
Is it worth the cost?/
Yes
Why haven't we done it?
Distractions intentional and otherwise to keep people under the thumbs of terrestrial powers.
Biological adaptations are necessary for living life away from our home. Low gravity causes calcium to leech out of our bones, the lack of tidal pull may effect our reproductive cycles and there are many other effects that come from having evolved on this planet.
A better human:
A better human will most-likely be thought of as trans-human or post-human. This theoretical person would have a great deal of artificial genetic manipulation for his/her cardio-vascular, musculo-skeletal and nervous systems. His/Her entire system will be adaptable to environments other than Earth. I don't mean that future humans will breathe methane...but that their bones won't crumble in micro-gravity nor will hormone production be disrupted and they would likely have a higher tolerance to radiation dosing.
Humans optimized for space travel would also likely be hairless completely and have vision capabilities at least at 20/20 if not better and be able to see and process colors in the infra-red and ultra-violet. Their cognitive abilities would be enhanced to require less sleep and irregularities of schedule would become less of a problem. We have drugs like modafinil, caffeine, and nicotine that already have this effect on our minds and bodies. Why not hard-wire these effects into features? Also likely would be enough manipulation that no human past a certain point would age past their mid 30's and never get cancer except from outside sources. All genetic faults would be corrected or removed.
It could take generations of therapies for this to happen, but it would first happen to humans off Earth. The benefits would be realized on Earth on an industrial scale. Sickness and frailty...gone. We're not talking of a master race or picking a child's sex, hair or eye color...this is about eliminating blindness, deafness, down syndrome, ALS, chromosomal defects that hold back the entire species!
The path to the starry sea is a long, broad and windy path with many other paths feeding into it.
A greater understanding:
Right now all that we conceive of is from the Big Bang onward. Yet tantalizing evidence exists for something beyond our realm. Some celestial phenomena from quasars to even the cosmic background radiation maps suggest energy is leaking INTO our universe from some outside medium. Additionally physicists think that our universe is flat and gravity curves or distorts this relatively 2-D space. We also know that the universe is still expanding and the rate of expansion is increasing. What is speculative is the continued duration of that expansion and rate of increase. What is also speculative is what exactly the universe is expanding into as a medium.
It would seem to me that we are as a small boat floating atop a dark sea of some unknown form of energy or some sort of Hyper/Hypo Space. This might also indicate the possibility of a multi-verse...a sea filled with islands of expanding and contracting 'Verses'. The apparent energy exchange could be evidence of this in the same way that small ripples in a pond or glass of water are evidence of the edge or shoreline or some reflective boundary. It is evidence and we need more of it to come to any conclusion as to the actual implications which are likely far more profound than what we can imagine today.
In our own solar system we have for the purposes of our species at present an infinite amount of material for construction and fuel and living space. And yet still more exists in our local neighborhood however that may be defined by cosmologists. And farther out EVEN MORE. And yet here we sit...floating in this starry sea of stuff acting as if scarcity is an actual thing rather than a self-imposed limit.
The United States alone could go to the moon and start a colony there if it so desired. As a nation it could do this within five years. The EU and China could also engage in such an activity. So why would they not do it you ask? Risk aversion, political power, general ineptitude and lack of foresight.
What does the Moon have?
Helium 3 - This is important for nuclear fusion and even charged particle drives (ion drives) and likely other applications we haven't even considered yet.
A Dark Side: Useful for deep solar system and space obervatories and automated interferometric sensor equipment and for communications beyond line of sight in the solar system.
A Light Side: Solar power, habitation areas dug into the lunar regolith.
How can we do these things?
We already have the patents and engineering designs for habitation modules and subselene nuclear powered tunnel boring machines that melt their way through the lunar rock using liquid lithium pipes and automated muck removal systems. That by the way was worked out in the 1980's. Today's machines would be more efficient by a large degree.
So what use would the moon be other than for fusion/ion fuel?
A low gravity staging point for exploration and exploitation of the solar system and its resources. It is the natural jumping-off point for a Mars expedition and colony. It is a ready-made observatory and it doesn't really have an environment to despoil aside from the portions that we want to inhabit or view from Earth.
Can we do it?
Yes
Should we do it?
Yes
Is it worth the cost?/
Yes
Why haven't we done it?
Distractions intentional and otherwise to keep people under the thumbs of terrestrial powers.
Biological adaptations are necessary for living life away from our home. Low gravity causes calcium to leech out of our bones, the lack of tidal pull may effect our reproductive cycles and there are many other effects that come from having evolved on this planet.
A better human:
A better human will most-likely be thought of as trans-human or post-human. This theoretical person would have a great deal of artificial genetic manipulation for his/her cardio-vascular, musculo-skeletal and nervous systems. His/Her entire system will be adaptable to environments other than Earth. I don't mean that future humans will breathe methane...but that their bones won't crumble in micro-gravity nor will hormone production be disrupted and they would likely have a higher tolerance to radiation dosing.
Humans optimized for space travel would also likely be hairless completely and have vision capabilities at least at 20/20 if not better and be able to see and process colors in the infra-red and ultra-violet. Their cognitive abilities would be enhanced to require less sleep and irregularities of schedule would become less of a problem. We have drugs like modafinil, caffeine, and nicotine that already have this effect on our minds and bodies. Why not hard-wire these effects into features? Also likely would be enough manipulation that no human past a certain point would age past their mid 30's and never get cancer except from outside sources. All genetic faults would be corrected or removed.
It could take generations of therapies for this to happen, but it would first happen to humans off Earth. The benefits would be realized on Earth on an industrial scale. Sickness and frailty...gone. We're not talking of a master race or picking a child's sex, hair or eye color...this is about eliminating blindness, deafness, down syndrome, ALS, chromosomal defects that hold back the entire species!
The path to the starry sea is a long, broad and windy path with many other paths feeding into it.
A greater understanding:
Right now all that we conceive of is from the Big Bang onward. Yet tantalizing evidence exists for something beyond our realm. Some celestial phenomena from quasars to even the cosmic background radiation maps suggest energy is leaking INTO our universe from some outside medium. Additionally physicists think that our universe is flat and gravity curves or distorts this relatively 2-D space. We also know that the universe is still expanding and the rate of expansion is increasing. What is speculative is the continued duration of that expansion and rate of increase. What is also speculative is what exactly the universe is expanding into as a medium.
It would seem to me that we are as a small boat floating atop a dark sea of some unknown form of energy or some sort of Hyper/Hypo Space. This might also indicate the possibility of a multi-verse...a sea filled with islands of expanding and contracting 'Verses'. The apparent energy exchange could be evidence of this in the same way that small ripples in a pond or glass of water are evidence of the edge or shoreline or some reflective boundary. It is evidence and we need more of it to come to any conclusion as to the actual implications which are likely far more profound than what we can imagine today.
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Movie Review: Side Effects
Side Effects (2013) Dir: S. Soderberg
Synopsis:
The protagonist is a psychiatrist who gets a patient who has attempted suicide. She later has a parasomnia episode where she stabs her husband to death and goes back to sleep.
It turns out that this is a giant scam.
She killed her husband while "doped" up on a new to market drug.
Well actually she just straight up murdered him and skated on the charges by faking the symptoms really well and actually taking this drug but not previous ones described. The psychiatrist continues probing after however and he figures it all out.
She conspired with her previous psychiatrist to murder her husband and tank the stocks of a firm and cause its main competitor to rise. He plays both of them...gets the other in jail and his patient permanently confined in a mental hospital.
My take:
Decent story and the pacing is a bit off but that disjointedness actually helps bring the psychosis of the people in the movie out to the audience. At the end of the movie no one comes out clean and the protagonist, though left in a better place can be looked at with a bit of a suspicious eye. He didn't get justice...he got even. This movie was about vengeance and in the end it deilvered int he most chilling fashion possible.
Of course the real world implications for how we view and treat mental patients is also chilling. Once you are put through that system how easy would it be for a corrupt official or doctor to abuse you? Easy. The film achieves a very subtle but deep level of horror if the viewer cares to give more than a moments pause. The pacing of the movie also helps to get the viewer to think about each phase.
All in all... grade A-
The downside of the movie? A few plot holes that could have been sewn up with better writers who care about the subject material. Thanks to great acting and a solid piece of directions and good production...the movie hits on all fronts and might leave most people stunned and wondering...WTF did I just see?
Synopsis:
The protagonist is a psychiatrist who gets a patient who has attempted suicide. She later has a parasomnia episode where she stabs her husband to death and goes back to sleep.
It turns out that this is a giant scam.
She killed her husband while "doped" up on a new to market drug.
Well actually she just straight up murdered him and skated on the charges by faking the symptoms really well and actually taking this drug but not previous ones described. The psychiatrist continues probing after however and he figures it all out.
She conspired with her previous psychiatrist to murder her husband and tank the stocks of a firm and cause its main competitor to rise. He plays both of them...gets the other in jail and his patient permanently confined in a mental hospital.
My take:
Decent story and the pacing is a bit off but that disjointedness actually helps bring the psychosis of the people in the movie out to the audience. At the end of the movie no one comes out clean and the protagonist, though left in a better place can be looked at with a bit of a suspicious eye. He didn't get justice...he got even. This movie was about vengeance and in the end it deilvered int he most chilling fashion possible.
Of course the real world implications for how we view and treat mental patients is also chilling. Once you are put through that system how easy would it be for a corrupt official or doctor to abuse you? Easy. The film achieves a very subtle but deep level of horror if the viewer cares to give more than a moments pause. The pacing of the movie also helps to get the viewer to think about each phase.
All in all... grade A-
The downside of the movie? A few plot holes that could have been sewn up with better writers who care about the subject material. Thanks to great acting and a solid piece of directions and good production...the movie hits on all fronts and might leave most people stunned and wondering...WTF did I just see?
Thursday, June 27, 2013
The Next Mass Effect - Locations I'd like to visit
Well in each Mass Effect we get to visit some different places and also some recurrences take place.
Noveria: ME, ME2, ME3 as an example. In the first mass effect however we get the most expansive look at what is on Noveria and it otherwise gets short shrift in the other series editions.
Earth: barely visited save the final battle in Mass Effect 3, but present for missions/resource gathering in each other series.
The Citadel: Of course the citadel - good ole base of operations. Should be interesting to see whats happened with it since ME3...has it stayed in Earth orbit or moved back to the Widow Nebula?
Those were old places...but for new locations?
Irune: The Volus homeworld is a high pressure ammonia based world and would be an interesting place for the next series to have some encounters. develop the culture of the volus more and maybe a good wya to get a volus team mate.
Ilos: Going back to Ilos...perhaps humans have started to colonize this former prothean world as well. More missions, more npcs....more exploration fun to be had.
Kahje: The Hanar homeworld and adopted world of some of the Drell...the rest of the Drell according to lore are still at war over the limited resources on their real home world. Would be an interesting conflict driver and fun times to be had fighting in aquatic environments and exploring drell/hanar social conventions.
Thessia: We only get the barest glimpse of it during the Reaper War...going back would be great (maybe Liara is there!)
Turvess: The as yet unseen Raloi homeworld. having an Raloi (avian spiecies) as a team mate and exploring their culture would be exciting as well.
Taking a tour of the council races home worlds to review the rebuilding after the Reaper war would be a good way to explore for resources/knowledge and to bring new players up to date on the universe they are in. So Thessia/Palaven/Sur'Kesh and ostensibly Earth.
Perhaps the Batarians have resettled on Earth or have new colonies out in the Attican Traverse.
Checking in on the Elkoss would also be interesting...perhaps being human you have to wear special life support armor with enhanced mass effect fields on their homeworld.
Valhallan Threshold and Perseus Veil of course for more Geth/Quarian (if either or both survived).
Depending on the ending you chose the galaxy could be in vastly different states:
Destruction: No Geth, no EDI, and still massive rebuilding to be done
Control: Could have Geth and EDI rebuilding would be majorly done but society would be largely unchanged and static due to Shepard's influence and protection.
Synthesis: Geth, EDI, everyone is better smarter, stronger. The Reapers don't just build and protect...they help innovate and become a civilization unto themselves helping their former creators (Leviathans) rebuild and repopulate after being hunted for millions of years. This 'ultimate' ending would have everything rebuilt...and indeed expanded.
How to build the synthesis ending into a new mass effect without being unbalanced vs the other choices? Maybe it should be unbalanced. Access to technologies at a higher level...say starting at level 2 instead of 1 with your ship having at least one upgrade...maybe more fuel for travel or something like that. Of course all of the models for the environment and people will have to have those green lil circuits running through/over them. So that is an additional graphical detail.
Technology is now organic in the galaxy and there is no such thing as synthetic. All are one and there should be references to that...people in close proximity being able to voluntarily share data without omnitools and geth/EDI like people able to use biotics now...reapers able to use biotics. Imagine Harbinger as your team mate?
Maybe you fly around now in a Reaper dreadnought :-P Or maybe we focus on how the reapers are being held for reparations for the war. Many many plots could happen. The main driver will have to be something bigger than the reapers. Perhaps they will return to develop the theme of Dark Energy now that more time has passed. We can revisit Haestrom and explore other locations including Tuchanka and where ever else to uncover at least a piece of the problem.
In other endings it would be just as easy to explore the dark energy plot...but with reduced knowledge making the challenge much harder across future games using imported saves. Control and Synthesis would have similar likes while destruction would sort of leave the organic races 'holding the bag' so to speak/write/whatever.
Noveria: ME, ME2, ME3 as an example. In the first mass effect however we get the most expansive look at what is on Noveria and it otherwise gets short shrift in the other series editions.
Earth: barely visited save the final battle in Mass Effect 3, but present for missions/resource gathering in each other series.
The Citadel: Of course the citadel - good ole base of operations. Should be interesting to see whats happened with it since ME3...has it stayed in Earth orbit or moved back to the Widow Nebula?
Those were old places...but for new locations?
Irune: The Volus homeworld is a high pressure ammonia based world and would be an interesting place for the next series to have some encounters. develop the culture of the volus more and maybe a good wya to get a volus team mate.
Ilos: Going back to Ilos...perhaps humans have started to colonize this former prothean world as well. More missions, more npcs....more exploration fun to be had.
Kahje: The Hanar homeworld and adopted world of some of the Drell...the rest of the Drell according to lore are still at war over the limited resources on their real home world. Would be an interesting conflict driver and fun times to be had fighting in aquatic environments and exploring drell/hanar social conventions.
Thessia: We only get the barest glimpse of it during the Reaper War...going back would be great (maybe Liara is there!)
Turvess: The as yet unseen Raloi homeworld. having an Raloi (avian spiecies) as a team mate and exploring their culture would be exciting as well.
Taking a tour of the council races home worlds to review the rebuilding after the Reaper war would be a good way to explore for resources/knowledge and to bring new players up to date on the universe they are in. So Thessia/Palaven/Sur'Kesh and ostensibly Earth.
Perhaps the Batarians have resettled on Earth or have new colonies out in the Attican Traverse.
Checking in on the Elkoss would also be interesting...perhaps being human you have to wear special life support armor with enhanced mass effect fields on their homeworld.
Valhallan Threshold and Perseus Veil of course for more Geth/Quarian (if either or both survived).
Depending on the ending you chose the galaxy could be in vastly different states:
Destruction: No Geth, no EDI, and still massive rebuilding to be done
Control: Could have Geth and EDI rebuilding would be majorly done but society would be largely unchanged and static due to Shepard's influence and protection.
Synthesis: Geth, EDI, everyone is better smarter, stronger. The Reapers don't just build and protect...they help innovate and become a civilization unto themselves helping their former creators (Leviathans) rebuild and repopulate after being hunted for millions of years. This 'ultimate' ending would have everything rebuilt...and indeed expanded.
How to build the synthesis ending into a new mass effect without being unbalanced vs the other choices? Maybe it should be unbalanced. Access to technologies at a higher level...say starting at level 2 instead of 1 with your ship having at least one upgrade...maybe more fuel for travel or something like that. Of course all of the models for the environment and people will have to have those green lil circuits running through/over them. So that is an additional graphical detail.
Technology is now organic in the galaxy and there is no such thing as synthetic. All are one and there should be references to that...people in close proximity being able to voluntarily share data without omnitools and geth/EDI like people able to use biotics now...reapers able to use biotics. Imagine Harbinger as your team mate?
Maybe you fly around now in a Reaper dreadnought :-P Or maybe we focus on how the reapers are being held for reparations for the war. Many many plots could happen. The main driver will have to be something bigger than the reapers. Perhaps they will return to develop the theme of Dark Energy now that more time has passed. We can revisit Haestrom and explore other locations including Tuchanka and where ever else to uncover at least a piece of the problem.
In other endings it would be just as easy to explore the dark energy plot...but with reduced knowledge making the challenge much harder across future games using imported saves. Control and Synthesis would have similar likes while destruction would sort of leave the organic races 'holding the bag' so to speak/write/whatever.
Friday, June 07, 2013
Re-Watching ST:NG - Relic
I have always had an appreciation for Star Trek and the idea of humanity expanding into the stars and of course the ever changing environment of science as they plumb the depths of space.
Relic (SE6,E04) starts off with the Enterprise finding a Dyson Sphere with a crashed ship (The Jenolen) still on it and remarkably Captain Scott is found alive in a continuous cycle in the transporter. And right here...at the beginning is where it jumps the shark...so to speak..erm write.
The episode becomes more about a man out of time than this fantastic...life changing find of an actual Dyson Sphere that as it is stated...can still support life with a class M environment on the inner hull area. Captain Scott's drama while compelling is more of a B-story than an A-story.
Writers today may indeed have the enterprise encounter the race who built the damned thing...rather than no explanation of why they are not present. Have they built other Dyson Spheres? There is so much more environmentally that could have been done...in-fact the Federation should have made an effort to colonize the sphere. Understanding and exploring this place would have advanced them hundreds of years in only a decade.
One of the initial shots as they enter the sphere shows a massive city on a peninsula. Hello Mega City One. This sphere is ready to colonize considering the amount of greenery and water present. The state of the environment inside at least superficially appears to be decent despite the supposed radiation bursts from the star.
Presumably solar flare activity is anticipated as part of a natural process of a main sequence class G star. Picard's observation that these flares must have driven the inhabitants away ignores many things. They BUILT A PHYSICAL STRUCTURE AROUND A STAR (or they built the structure and then ignited a star once it was built...). The sphere's structure is composed of neutronium. This sci-fi material is some sort of ultra-dense metal likely formed by the pressures equivalent to a collapsed white-dwarf star. It would be nearly impervious to destruction short of a truly massive matter-antimatter reaction or a singularity/singularity weapon. Even large mass driver type weapons would likely only leave superficial marks.
Though two science vessels are dispatched to study the sphere we never in all of the lore since ever hear about this place again. If I were Picard I would have wanted to stick around and help study it. The importance of this find in xeno-archaeology would be beyond comprehension.
The idea that solar flares would present any kind of danger to a society that can build something like this is laughable. The fact that they can ignite a star inside a structure means they must have advanced radiation and force shielding counter measures. And the fact that they can engineer a star means that likely they could exert control over the star beyond simply turning it on. Given the level of control over gravity they would need...it is likely they could snuff out a star using the systems in the Sphere.
bah!
Relic (SE6,E04) starts off with the Enterprise finding a Dyson Sphere with a crashed ship (The Jenolen) still on it and remarkably Captain Scott is found alive in a continuous cycle in the transporter. And right here...at the beginning is where it jumps the shark...so to speak..erm write.
The episode becomes more about a man out of time than this fantastic...life changing find of an actual Dyson Sphere that as it is stated...can still support life with a class M environment on the inner hull area. Captain Scott's drama while compelling is more of a B-story than an A-story.
Writers today may indeed have the enterprise encounter the race who built the damned thing...rather than no explanation of why they are not present. Have they built other Dyson Spheres? There is so much more environmentally that could have been done...in-fact the Federation should have made an effort to colonize the sphere. Understanding and exploring this place would have advanced them hundreds of years in only a decade.
One of the initial shots as they enter the sphere shows a massive city on a peninsula. Hello Mega City One. This sphere is ready to colonize considering the amount of greenery and water present. The state of the environment inside at least superficially appears to be decent despite the supposed radiation bursts from the star.
Presumably solar flare activity is anticipated as part of a natural process of a main sequence class G star. Picard's observation that these flares must have driven the inhabitants away ignores many things. They BUILT A PHYSICAL STRUCTURE AROUND A STAR (or they built the structure and then ignited a star once it was built...). The sphere's structure is composed of neutronium. This sci-fi material is some sort of ultra-dense metal likely formed by the pressures equivalent to a collapsed white-dwarf star. It would be nearly impervious to destruction short of a truly massive matter-antimatter reaction or a singularity/singularity weapon. Even large mass driver type weapons would likely only leave superficial marks.
Though two science vessels are dispatched to study the sphere we never in all of the lore since ever hear about this place again. If I were Picard I would have wanted to stick around and help study it. The importance of this find in xeno-archaeology would be beyond comprehension.
The idea that solar flares would present any kind of danger to a society that can build something like this is laughable. The fact that they can ignite a star inside a structure means they must have advanced radiation and force shielding counter measures. And the fact that they can engineer a star means that likely they could exert control over the star beyond simply turning it on. Given the level of control over gravity they would need...it is likely they could snuff out a star using the systems in the Sphere.
bah!
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Why Enterprise Was Not Optimal
Enterprise, the heretofore last Star Trek TV series to be produced, was not handled well by those who managed the IP and the writers mangled what Star Trek is about, messed with cannon history and timelines and essentially were out of focus.
1) Cast: Nothing terrible here, but not as much focus on relationships between crew members. There was external development with characters and their families and some mild romantic overtures, but little in the way of developing camaraderie.
2) Plot: Temporal cold war and the suliban/other stupid aliens. The writers should have concentrated on the Earth-Romulan War since the 1st season started. Time travel stuff can wait and should be novel rather than central.
3) Location: Concentrate on the nearby beta-quandrant border with Romulans and Klingons. Play up tensions with Klingons as well but not too much, they should be peripheral and be seen as a nebulous force that will at times help or hinder starfleet's goals, possibly engaging in tech transfer of photon torpedos and matter disruptors and energy shielding. Play off as foil to Vulcans: Their equal and opposite but less knowable even though they have more emotional connections with humans.
The reality is that they could have made the series about exploring a core part of the Star Trek Universe and shown more about the United Federation of Planets forming at the end of the ERW.
The Enterprise would have still been prominent and the producers could have connected the crew to events in a bigger way rather than inventing new threats and inserting them into the continuity. And we wouldn't have needed the final episode flashback stuff.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Rage Guy
There once was a nice guy from CT. He was slandered, and betrayed twice. Then he drank a cup of rage and felt better.
amen
Saturday, August 13, 2011
To Create a World
So I have taken the task upon myself to create a steampunk world for Dungeons and Dragons. Well...sort of. I went to the library and I checked out a couple fantasy novels and I realized that I'd had enough of the high fantasy realm for playing in...been at it since high school. I think we've slaughtered enough orcs to be their equivalent of Hitler.
So I browsed for some other stuff in the fiction area and ran across a series of novels by Jay Lake. His world of the "Clockwork Earth" is a very well illustrated and fleshed out place across the 3 extant novels. "Mainspring", "Escapement" and "Pinion".
I thoroughly enjoyed reading these novels for how they explore the world the characters live in. The characters are like any motley group of people thrown together by destiny that barely hold on to their lives as everything spins out of control...but they are exciting to see how they manage events within the scope of their attitudes.
So I have decided to use this world in some private games to try and do something different. Combat is more lethal and altogether certain, magic barely exists at all and those that have knowledge of any of it guard it more carefully than their own lives. Mechanical means trump everything, gun powder is king and the British Empire rules all in the west.
the world itself is divided at it's center by a great wall in which the clockwork gears track the earth along its great brass orbital ring. The earth is literally clockwork...but was it always so? Well there are a great deal of mysteries to unravel and I have decided to modify the classes one sees as standard in DnD so that they fit better with the world.
Paladins are a prestige class now and most belong to the Church of England and have been or are still cleric/priests in some way. They possess no magic, but are tougher and have a different skill set. They are one of the few classes still likely to have a sword even if it is just a badge of office.
Soldiers now instead of fighters and they now have the ability to choose either officer or enlisted. Officers get more starting gold and enlisted get an additional profession to choose as a bonus.
Rangers are similar to what they were, but they get more bonuses to skill use and to use of firearms such as rifles and dual wielding pistols...to keep some of that flavor.
However unlike most DnD games that use firearms their damage in my games will be far and above melee/bow and arrow or x-bows. There is no armor in 1910 that can protect the person from a well placed bullet, so damage is much higher. For example a 6 shot revolver with a .38 cal would do something like 4d8 damage and critical hit probably x10.
Characters will have to be smarter and not simply reply on hack and slash. As the DM I will have to create scenarios that CAN result in combat but it isn't forced. The players will have a greater chance to use skills and build a world they want to experience.
Will they travel to "The Wall" and meet the monsters said to inhabit The Wall? Who knows. however I have decided to set their starting location as a town we grew up in in New England. A few visits to the town library's archive should get me some copies of photos from that era and I can extrapolate from that what would be different under British rules.
- more posts forthcoming.
So I browsed for some other stuff in the fiction area and ran across a series of novels by Jay Lake. His world of the "Clockwork Earth" is a very well illustrated and fleshed out place across the 3 extant novels. "Mainspring", "Escapement" and "Pinion".
I thoroughly enjoyed reading these novels for how they explore the world the characters live in. The characters are like any motley group of people thrown together by destiny that barely hold on to their lives as everything spins out of control...but they are exciting to see how they manage events within the scope of their attitudes.
So I have decided to use this world in some private games to try and do something different. Combat is more lethal and altogether certain, magic barely exists at all and those that have knowledge of any of it guard it more carefully than their own lives. Mechanical means trump everything, gun powder is king and the British Empire rules all in the west.
the world itself is divided at it's center by a great wall in which the clockwork gears track the earth along its great brass orbital ring. The earth is literally clockwork...but was it always so? Well there are a great deal of mysteries to unravel and I have decided to modify the classes one sees as standard in DnD so that they fit better with the world.
Paladins are a prestige class now and most belong to the Church of England and have been or are still cleric/priests in some way. They possess no magic, but are tougher and have a different skill set. They are one of the few classes still likely to have a sword even if it is just a badge of office.
Soldiers now instead of fighters and they now have the ability to choose either officer or enlisted. Officers get more starting gold and enlisted get an additional profession to choose as a bonus.
Rangers are similar to what they were, but they get more bonuses to skill use and to use of firearms such as rifles and dual wielding pistols...to keep some of that flavor.
However unlike most DnD games that use firearms their damage in my games will be far and above melee/bow and arrow or x-bows. There is no armor in 1910 that can protect the person from a well placed bullet, so damage is much higher. For example a 6 shot revolver with a .38 cal would do something like 4d8 damage and critical hit probably x10.
Characters will have to be smarter and not simply reply on hack and slash. As the DM I will have to create scenarios that CAN result in combat but it isn't forced. The players will have a greater chance to use skills and build a world they want to experience.
Will they travel to "The Wall" and meet the monsters said to inhabit The Wall? Who knows. however I have decided to set their starting location as a town we grew up in in New England. A few visits to the town library's archive should get me some copies of photos from that era and I can extrapolate from that what would be different under British rules.
- more posts forthcoming.
Sunday, August 07, 2011
Starcraft II Wings of Liberty
Well I've had the game for nearly a year now and I have had great fun playing through the campaign and now in multi-player I avoid the leagues and ladders becuase I have found the ultimate mod... Desert Strike by Squarely.
I have a good team together for it when we go play and we have our strategies down pat so that we nearly never lose in a team match. Even spoiled a person's record of 100 wins and no losses.
The secret to winning as a team is communication and voice comms definitely help with that, and it really doesn't matter if it is skype, teamspeak, ventrilo or really even the in-game voice comms that are provided for a party.
It would be interesting to see one of those companies attempt to take down the big telco's by offering their own phone hardware that can plug into your computer. Your IP then becomes your phone number and its free calling anywhere in the world as your phone will be a mini-server that people simply connect to..and page you for a ring and can wait in your lobby instead of redialing all fuggin day...wait I should develop this...*cough* don't notice what I am saying ATT.COMCAST.CableVision.et.al.
brb...need to write a proposal.
I have a good team together for it when we go play and we have our strategies down pat so that we nearly never lose in a team match. Even spoiled a person's record of 100 wins and no losses.
The secret to winning as a team is communication and voice comms definitely help with that, and it really doesn't matter if it is skype, teamspeak, ventrilo or really even the in-game voice comms that are provided for a party.
It would be interesting to see one of those companies attempt to take down the big telco's by offering their own phone hardware that can plug into your computer. Your IP then becomes your phone number and its free calling anywhere in the world as your phone will be a mini-server that people simply connect to..and page you for a ring and can wait in your lobby instead of redialing all fuggin day...wait I should develop this...*cough* don't notice what I am saying ATT.COMCAST.CableVision.et.al.
brb...need to write a proposal.
Monday, July 25, 2011
The National Debt Crisis (or lack thereof)
Let me start by displaying the frame of the arguments presented in the wider media.
1) The US will default if it does not continue borrowing on aug 2, 2011
2) If we don't borrow MORE money our credit rating will go down
3) We need to borrow money to pay our creditors
4) People who want to cut spending are radicals/regressives who want to kill old people and the poor
You hear it every time you turn on the news "Will the US default?" "What will happen to YOUR 401K?" and so on and so forth. So here I will give an accurate explanation of two ways this can go.
Scenario 1) We borrow more money:
Upon borrowing more money and INCREASING the deficit and national debt; we have not addressed the fundamental issues but we have camouflaged the sucking wound that is the escalating debt. MAYBE our credit rating has statyed up...but maybe not since we haven't actually addressed the debt. Spending continues and it gorws even more out of control and more intertwined with our system eventually leading to a near collapse only avoided by hugely spiking interest rates and inflating our money until it is valueless as we purchase back the debt with zimbabwe-like currency.
Scenario 2) We cut spending immediately:
The budget automatically balances and we are back to 2002 levels of spending necessarily repealing Obama-care and a lot of budget increases over the years. The recession deepens for a short period, but we continue making payments on the debt even paying some of the principle back so our rating stays high. We slowly bring interest rates up to soak up the extra dollars and strengthen US currency in relation to others abroad.
oil prices begin to drop and the recession lifts as we live within our means with a government that is considerably smaller but no less effective. Many public sector workers are now private sector workers which results in a net gain in treasury receipts without the sucking on the govt teat for paychecks. Businesses cease fearing more govt intervention and begin to invest and innovate. Wages rise and jobs are created.
Then people forget and do more stupid borrowing
I give up and my head asplodes.
1) The US will default if it does not continue borrowing on aug 2, 2011
2) If we don't borrow MORE money our credit rating will go down
3) We need to borrow money to pay our creditors
4) People who want to cut spending are radicals/regressives who want to kill old people and the poor
You hear it every time you turn on the news "Will the US default?" "What will happen to YOUR 401K?" and so on and so forth. So here I will give an accurate explanation of two ways this can go.
Scenario 1) We borrow more money:
Upon borrowing more money and INCREASING the deficit and national debt; we have not addressed the fundamental issues but we have camouflaged the sucking wound that is the escalating debt. MAYBE our credit rating has statyed up...but maybe not since we haven't actually addressed the debt. Spending continues and it gorws even more out of control and more intertwined with our system eventually leading to a near collapse only avoided by hugely spiking interest rates and inflating our money until it is valueless as we purchase back the debt with zimbabwe-like currency.
Scenario 2) We cut spending immediately:
The budget automatically balances and we are back to 2002 levels of spending necessarily repealing Obama-care and a lot of budget increases over the years. The recession deepens for a short period, but we continue making payments on the debt even paying some of the principle back so our rating stays high. We slowly bring interest rates up to soak up the extra dollars and strengthen US currency in relation to others abroad.
oil prices begin to drop and the recession lifts as we live within our means with a government that is considerably smaller but no less effective. Many public sector workers are now private sector workers which results in a net gain in treasury receipts without the sucking on the govt teat for paychecks. Businesses cease fearing more govt intervention and begin to invest and innovate. Wages rise and jobs are created.
Then people forget and do more stupid borrowing
I give up and my head asplodes.
Monday, October 05, 2009
Is Obama Throwing the Fight?
Afghanistan: The Good War (TGW henceforth) as we have been told since Obama even thought of running for President is becoming tougher and tougher for the United States to fight day by day.
So the President says that he needs to weigh all his options on fighting this war that he supports. Erm...ok go for it. So he has two main options: Add more troops, or don't.
If he doesn't add more troops then he has to change the entire strategy of how this is being fought. That means more aggressive rules of engagement, constant assaults across national borders into Pakistani territory and likely other bordering nations, confronting Iran more actively and actually fighting this like a war rather than a police action.
Gen. McChrystal thinks that adding 40K more troops will help. And even that isn't a sure thing because we have to depend on a corrupt national government, half-trained Afghani soldiers and fight against local warlords whose money flows from the opium trade...which makes heroin that is consumed mainly in the USA and Western Europe. Our own decadence is biting us in the ass in real time.
President Obama may or may not be thoughtfully engaging in the process of reviewing the strategy or formulating a new one ( I hope he is), but he is failing to lead/govern in the meantime as he is quite close-lipped on what exactly he is thinking. This may have flown back in the days before cable TV, the internet and satellites; but he needs to be engaged more in his own press conferences and make his intent clear.
Does he intend to prosecute this war to SOME victorious condition? Or is he looking to disengage like we did in Vietnam, or as the Russians did two decades ago?
In my opinion he isn't sure. I think he really wants to push his domestic agenda (as observed here http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/oct/02/curl-obama-distractions-sideline-afghan-plan/
And some think that he might be willing to let soldiers die to push healthcare. That is a rather callous observation and would make him quite evil. I don't think he is evil.
And assuming his press secretary is truthful...
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said that walking away isn't a viable option to deal with a war that is about to enter its ninth year.
"I don't think we have the option to leave. That's quite clear," Gibbs said.
Well ok then, but that doesn't answer the real question. The question is now are we going to stay and lose or stay and win?
McChrystal is being rather shortsighted in being so public about his views and bordering on insubordination. Yes he knows better than the President on how to prosecute a war, but the President is his CnC and a general ought not pick a fight against his boss who can up and fire him for such comments as he has been making no matter his intentions. McChrystal has foot-in-mouth disease...and his mouth is writing checks that his body certainly can't cash. So far the President being merely irked is a bad sign to me...showing that he isn't really serious.
If I were the President I would 1) be in more consistent communication either through the Pentagon or directly with McChrystal so he doesn't feel hung out to dry.
2) Have a press conference specifically on Afghanistan
3) Announce that we are closing down our base in Germany to re-open it in Afghanistan and move all troops there.
4) Annihilate the bad guys with extreme prejudice.
So the President says that he needs to weigh all his options on fighting this war that he supports. Erm...ok go for it. So he has two main options: Add more troops, or don't.
If he doesn't add more troops then he has to change the entire strategy of how this is being fought. That means more aggressive rules of engagement, constant assaults across national borders into Pakistani territory and likely other bordering nations, confronting Iran more actively and actually fighting this like a war rather than a police action.
Gen. McChrystal thinks that adding 40K more troops will help. And even that isn't a sure thing because we have to depend on a corrupt national government, half-trained Afghani soldiers and fight against local warlords whose money flows from the opium trade...which makes heroin that is consumed mainly in the USA and Western Europe. Our own decadence is biting us in the ass in real time.
President Obama may or may not be thoughtfully engaging in the process of reviewing the strategy or formulating a new one ( I hope he is), but he is failing to lead/govern in the meantime as he is quite close-lipped on what exactly he is thinking. This may have flown back in the days before cable TV, the internet and satellites; but he needs to be engaged more in his own press conferences and make his intent clear.
Does he intend to prosecute this war to SOME victorious condition? Or is he looking to disengage like we did in Vietnam, or as the Russians did two decades ago?
In my opinion he isn't sure. I think he really wants to push his domestic agenda (as observed here http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/oct/02/curl-obama-distractions-sideline-afghan-plan/
And some think that he might be willing to let soldiers die to push healthcare. That is a rather callous observation and would make him quite evil. I don't think he is evil.
And assuming his press secretary is truthful...
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said that walking away isn't a viable option to deal with a war that is about to enter its ninth year.
"I don't think we have the option to leave. That's quite clear," Gibbs said.
Well ok then, but that doesn't answer the real question. The question is now are we going to stay and lose or stay and win?
McChrystal is being rather shortsighted in being so public about his views and bordering on insubordination. Yes he knows better than the President on how to prosecute a war, but the President is his CnC and a general ought not pick a fight against his boss who can up and fire him for such comments as he has been making no matter his intentions. McChrystal has foot-in-mouth disease...and his mouth is writing checks that his body certainly can't cash. So far the President being merely irked is a bad sign to me...showing that he isn't really serious.
If I were the President I would 1) be in more consistent communication either through the Pentagon or directly with McChrystal so he doesn't feel hung out to dry.
2) Have a press conference specifically on Afghanistan
3) Announce that we are closing down our base in Germany to re-open it in Afghanistan and move all troops there.
4) Annihilate the bad guys with extreme prejudice.
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Part 2: Homunculi Come of Age
At some undetermined point in the future the first industries will either give birth or way to larger heavy industries. I shall call the 5 major super-conglomerates by some nice names:
1) WASP Industries
2) Haelstrom Medical
3) Hyperion Logistics LLC
4) Blunt Force Trauma LLP
5) TTFN Insurance Co.
WASP industries will in my world dominate, though not entirely corner the market on heavy mineral extraction, exploration and prospecting. In addition WASP industries will process many of the 0 gravity manufactured specialty chemicals and build the large shipyards.
Haelstrom Medical will be a division of a large terran bound pharmaceutical company. Tailored 0-gravity medicines, gene therapy drugs, and artificial conception technologies will first be tailored here and marketed .
Hyperion Logistics will be like the UPS of space but also deliver hazardous materials and transport bulk mineral shipments to planetary trans-shipment points for processing on the surface. In addition they will formthe back bone of a merchant marine for the solar system.
Blunt Force Trauma LLC are Private Space Security "Advisors"
TTFN will make sure eveyones' lives in space are insured as well as property.
1) WASP Industries
2) Haelstrom Medical
3) Hyperion Logistics LLC
4) Blunt Force Trauma LLP
5) TTFN Insurance Co.
WASP industries will in my world dominate, though not entirely corner the market on heavy mineral extraction, exploration and prospecting. In addition WASP industries will process many of the 0 gravity manufactured specialty chemicals and build the large shipyards.
Haelstrom Medical will be a division of a large terran bound pharmaceutical company. Tailored 0-gravity medicines, gene therapy drugs, and artificial conception technologies will first be tailored here and marketed .
Hyperion Logistics will be like the UPS of space but also deliver hazardous materials and transport bulk mineral shipments to planetary trans-shipment points for processing on the surface. In addition they will formthe back bone of a merchant marine for the solar system.
Blunt Force Trauma LLC are Private Space Security "Advisors"
TTFN will make sure eveyones' lives in space are insured as well as property.
Friday, August 04, 2006
Creating the Telescopic Humonculi of Ur
In order to create the THoU we must first examine what we need for a successful plan to enter and stay in the realm of our solar system.
So let us make several rules:
1) No need for faster than light travel for thousands of years
2) Even thinking about warp drive will get you executed by the laws of thermo dynamics and conservation
3) Stven Hawking is dead and not even Michu Kaku can figure out how to create a gravity drive
Ok so I've dashed all of the turbo nerd hopes for interstellar flight leaving us constrained to this solar system for the time being.
Phase 1:
Entry Level Space Travel - Creating a market and building infrastructure.
Step 1: The Market:
a: The Market currently only allows for the very wealthy person to enjoy a few moments of weightlessness, or billion dollar companies paying to shoot off some satellites.
b: The Market is a virtual Oligopoly where a few satellite and rocket manufacturers have the majority of industrial, commercial and government contracts.
c: The Market is expanding, though slowly, due to lack of significant regulatory barriers and the new wealth of internet entrepreneurs and high tech specialists and private incentives such as the Ansari X-Prize.
Step 2: The Old Guard
a: NASA pioneered space flight and high altitude/high speed flight in the United States and rocketry in general. NASA has a great deal of territory that as an organization it might feel inclined to protect.
b: The gub'mint will want its piece of the pie and a slew of new taxes will undoubtedly be levvied in the name of protecting consumers or some other such nonsense.
c: NASA will continue to do a great deal of public work and expand our scientific horizons for some time to come and is an important partner in the future of space exploration.
Step 3: The New Guard
a: Blue Origin started by Jeff Bezos (founder of Amazon.com) has begun adopting an approach towards implementing improved cargo carrying in resuable launch vehicles.
b: Virgin Galactic has licensed the design of the next generation of personnel carriers designed by Scaled Composites (winners of the Ansari X-Prize).
The two firms have begun planning their launch sites and business will boom. Outer Space has unlimited potential for wealth. The risk is high, but not unmangeable. One day in the near future the average man will not think it too odd that he could take at least a short hop in to orbit and back for a vacation trip. Several generations down the road we may see the first tourist hotels in orbit. One man has begun testing of his inflatable space station modules, and a scalemodel was successfully deployed. The first stations may indeed be balloons. Reach for the heavens and you just may touch the skies...more to come
So let us make several rules:
1) No need for faster than light travel for thousands of years
2) Even thinking about warp drive will get you executed by the laws of thermo dynamics and conservation
3) Stven Hawking is dead and not even Michu Kaku can figure out how to create a gravity drive
Ok so I've dashed all of the turbo nerd hopes for interstellar flight leaving us constrained to this solar system for the time being.
Phase 1:
Entry Level Space Travel - Creating a market and building infrastructure.
Step 1: The Market:
a: The Market currently only allows for the very wealthy person to enjoy a few moments of weightlessness, or billion dollar companies paying to shoot off some satellites.
b: The Market is a virtual Oligopoly where a few satellite and rocket manufacturers have the majority of industrial, commercial and government contracts.
c: The Market is expanding, though slowly, due to lack of significant regulatory barriers and the new wealth of internet entrepreneurs and high tech specialists and private incentives such as the Ansari X-Prize.
Step 2: The Old Guard
a: NASA pioneered space flight and high altitude/high speed flight in the United States and rocketry in general. NASA has a great deal of territory that as an organization it might feel inclined to protect.
b: The gub'mint will want its piece of the pie and a slew of new taxes will undoubtedly be levvied in the name of protecting consumers or some other such nonsense.
c: NASA will continue to do a great deal of public work and expand our scientific horizons for some time to come and is an important partner in the future of space exploration.
Step 3: The New Guard
a: Blue Origin started by Jeff Bezos (founder of Amazon.com) has begun adopting an approach towards implementing improved cargo carrying in resuable launch vehicles.
b: Virgin Galactic has licensed the design of the next generation of personnel carriers designed by Scaled Composites (winners of the Ansari X-Prize).
The two firms have begun planning their launch sites and business will boom. Outer Space has unlimited potential for wealth. The risk is high, but not unmangeable. One day in the near future the average man will not think it too odd that he could take at least a short hop in to orbit and back for a vacation trip. Several generations down the road we may see the first tourist hotels in orbit. One man has begun testing of his inflatable space station modules, and a scalemodel was successfully deployed. The first stations may indeed be balloons. Reach for the heavens and you just may touch the skies...more to come
Saturday, July 29, 2006
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