Category Archives: Sci-fi

Thirtysomething Yr

https://twitter.com/ricky_ballboy/status/1547735825437167617?s=20&t=CXeW2HdIkFq7Tc19e9LLcw
“I SAID, WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE MAASTRICHT TREATY?!?!”

1992. Halcyon days. At least, if you like war in Europe and riots in America. Yep. So much has changed now. Better days.

One of the closing themes of my book, Stroke, is the subjective nature of time. So, it’s interesting to hear two remixes of Orbital’s Halcyon, thirty years on.

Logic 1000 strips it back and makes an asthmatic middle-aged stroke survivor think he could still rave it up in a sweaty whitewashed cube of a room somewhere in Edinburgh – if such a place still exists, Grandad.

John Hopkins makes some concessions to the passing of time and makes an A.M-a.S.S. think he could really dig it after the Wee Man’s gone to sleep, on a good pair of noise-cancelling headphones.

None of it convinces me that 17-year-old Ricky was right in his conviction that time’s arrow was dragging us into a future that could only get better [sic].

On the other hand, Long-sufferingreaderoftheblogpaul introduced me today to a trilogy of science fiction books which opens with Earth awaiting an invasion from the closest star system. So, things aren’t necessarily all bad.

“One of these days, we’re going to cut you up into little pieces”

Cheery-bye!!!

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An Imaginary Line

After the last two posts collectively regarding strokes, pigs, and sci-fi (Kicking A Dead Pig and Mind Reading), I recalled that I have a short short story of speculative fiction sitting in a metaphorical drawer about a man suffering quadriplegia, pigs, and sci-fi.

But Space Pig, it's the other way!
‘I must rush to check that out!’ – Doctor Who Space Pig

Now. You might think that all sounds a bit silly. And you might be right. But read on…

[And in the meantime, visit the Apoplexy Newsletter for a soundtrack to distract you.]

Continue reading An Imaginary Line
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Mind Reading

Let’s stay with the stroke / medical science / sci-fi Venn diagram this week, after last week’s Night of the Living Pigs.

'Medical science? Wait, what?!'
Yay!!!

In the endless battle against FAKE NEWS!!! Aunty Beeb trailed a story last week about how computers can read our minds now.

[I’m sensing… you want some more whimsy and a soundtrack from the Apoplexy Newsletter]

Continue reading Mind Reading
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Kicking A Dead Pig

Long-suffering readers of the blog may have noticed that I often use these posts to grapple with subjects of which I don’t yet have a grasp.

Things I don't understand, #94: Bochum's 1997 kit
What can I say? I like a broad palette.

VfL Bochum there, using a pretty broad palette for their 1997 kit.

So, when Long-Suffering Reader Of The Blog Paul asked me if the pig thing [was] lighting up my various comms channels, I was thrilled to discover that The Pig Thing was A Thing that needed both grappling and grasping.

Check out the Apoplexy Newsletter for some light relief
and some tunes to accompany the following…

Continue reading Kicking A Dead Pig
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Judge Dread

Clearly, I was spoiled for news stories to cover last week. Even this week, and more specifically today, a lot of things I’m interested in have been cropping up.

Trump‘s been in the news a bunch, but I’m not going to spend any time on the details of that. I mean, who’s got the bandwidth to constantly maintain the rage?

Seriously. How has he not had a stroke?
A: This guy?

No, the most interesting thing I learned about Trump this week keyed into my interest in the amount of time we spent at work.

[Waste your time at work with the Apoplexy Tiny Letter.] Continue reading Judge Dread

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Dragons

They say, You’re never too old to learn. And I’m worried that I may have to cast aside one of the touchstones by which I live my live.

Not that I’ve got anything against dragons, you understand. Just everything they stand for.

[Boycotting this post due to a love of dragons? Check out the Apoplexy Newsletter instead.] Continue reading Dragons

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The Stroke Bloke Shake

In 2006, a psychologist at Cardiff University identified today as the most depressing day of the year. Cliff Arnall suggested that this was due to the confluence of a number of factors, including debts from Christmas overspending, the abandoning of New Year’s resolutions, and low levels of motivation.

So if you were already been super-depressed about having to go through Blue Monday on 15 January, now you must feel really bad.

Barney was mistaken, apparently
I’m quite sure that you’ll tell me / Just how I should feel today

[Cheer yourself up – check out the Apoplexy Tiny Letter] Continue reading The Stroke Bloke Shake

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Saints and Sinners

In the aftermath of my viewing of Argo on the way back from the US, the spy news just kept coming…

Or you.
Not you.

But let’s leave Jared Kushner and his back channels out of it for now. (Oo-er, missus!) I briefly mentioned the recent shenanigans in China in last week’s Apoplexy Tiny LetterContinue reading Saints and Sinners

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Below The Neck

So – two weeks later – I’ve finally reconciled myself to the ending of the live-action version of Ghost In The Shell.

Best chip shop name ever: A Salt and Battery
Final Assault: I promise, no more GitS after today

My question about the Hollywood movie of Ghost In The Shell was:

  1. If the fictional Hanka Robotics has developed a mechanical body, or “shell”, that can integrate a human brain; and
  2. “We cling to memories as if they define us, but they don’t. What we do is what defines us”; then
  3. Why would an anarchist who is rounded up to be a test specimen in a shell choose to define herself by the actions she is ordered to take by the government?

Read on for the “exciting” answer…

[But first, check out the exciting Apoplexy Tiny Letter.]

Continue reading Below The Neck

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Ghost in the Shell

OK. Two weeks ago was #stroke news. Last week was music. That must mean that this week, it’s… SCI-FI!!!

But let’s not be too predictable. I’m not going to bang on too much about last weekend’s Doctor Who. Although Smile was a good little episode. Thought-provoking. In fact, as I think about it again, I reckon that it might have been more satisfying that this week’s bigger, sexier, sci-fi outing.

I'm wearing a hoodie right now, Sexy
“But middle-aged Scottish men are sexier than Scarlett Johansson!” (FACT)

[For even more satisfaction, check out the Apoplexy Tiny Letter.] Continue reading Ghost in the Shell

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