The Diamond Age
Oct. 15th, 2003 12:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
thessalianSo I went to see/hear Neal Stephenson read. Shame he didn't actually read. He said that, on the basis of his experience with 15 American crowds, people would get bored with the "monotonous reading of a book section". So he moved straight on to the Q&A. Mindful of something I read in "On Writing", I asked about the language. Well, I asked if his use of short words in very long sentences was conscious and if so, what he intended by it. Apparently he hadn't thought of it ("Bet he will now..." said Dave) but said that the simple words was probably due to the fact that he'd thrown a lot of ten-dollar words into a previous work and this was his way of counterbalancing. Interesting way of dealing with it. Apparently he wrote "Quicksilver" with a fountain pen; he gave good reasons why, but I still had to shudder. Also talked about why the "Snow Crash" movie plans are shelved for the forseeable future -- and man am I proud of him for not compromising. Someone asked him why his endings are so abrupt -- apparently he gets that a lot but I always thought that was the best thing about his writing because nothing really resolves itself in real life (his exact statement; I had to grin). And of course, someone asked where he got his ideas, at which point I nearly had a brain haemorrhage trying to stifle my giggles and Dave told me to behave myself. Probably a good thing he did -- after I'd got over the giggles, I might have gone up, cuffed the girl around the head with my rucksack and said, "That is a question with no answer! Why bother? Why inflict that cringe-making question to a man who makes his living by putting stories to paper and not questioning where these ideas come from?" Apparently Harlan Ellison answers that question by saying "Schenectady. I get deliveries every Thursday." I think I like him.
Now that I'm done with my little review of the Stephenson "reading", on to the friend of![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
leopard_lady -- the Dave I mention above. Trying to describe him is a waste of time -- if you've met him, you'll understand; if you haven't, you probably don't care that much (same as for every friend of a friend, really). Suffice it to say that I liked him. I found him intelligent, interesting and amusing. (Trying to avoid the N-word here, but he was that too.)
He has loaned me "Akira" and burned me VCDs of something called "Firefly", both of which I will watch when there's opportunity. He also loaned me the rulebook for something called "7th Sea", a RPG I'd never heard of (surprise, surprise, surprise...). It sounds fascinating and, GM willing and the Thames don't rise, I may be joining this little band of miscreants. Of course, the group meets in a far-distant part of London, so I look to be spending the bulk of my Sunday commuting, but I never do very much on Sundays anyway.
In other news, I've a cold/the flu/a virus of some description. In short, I'm ill. But I'm not complaining in the office because Kate's got the monopoly on that; she's put her back out (she knew she had problems with it but went fencing anyway and now it's completely fucked) and you can't get through five minutes without her moaning and groaning. My view on it is as follows:
If you're that ill, go home. If you're not, suck it up.
Thess
Now that I'm done with my little review of the Stephenson "reading", on to the friend of
leopard_lady -- the Dave I mention above. Trying to describe him is a waste of time -- if you've met him, you'll understand; if you haven't, you probably don't care that much (same as for every friend of a friend, really). Suffice it to say that I liked him. I found him intelligent, interesting and amusing. (Trying to avoid the N-word here, but he was that too.)He has loaned me "Akira" and burned me VCDs of something called "Firefly", both of which I will watch when there's opportunity. He also loaned me the rulebook for something called "7th Sea", a RPG I'd never heard of (surprise, surprise, surprise...). It sounds fascinating and, GM willing and the Thames don't rise, I may be joining this little band of miscreants. Of course, the group meets in a far-distant part of London, so I look to be spending the bulk of my Sunday commuting, but I never do very much on Sundays anyway.
In other news, I've a cold/the flu/a virus of some description. In short, I'm ill. But I'm not complaining in the office because Kate's got the monopoly on that; she's put her back out (she knew she had problems with it but went fencing anyway and now it's completely fucked) and you can't get through five minutes without her moaning and groaning. My view on it is as follows:
If you're that ill, go home. If you're not, suck it up.
Thess
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no subject
Date: 2003-10-15 05:03 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-10-15 05:17 am (UTC)Oh, bonus, though -- the Superintendant Radiographer made not-so-nice commentary on the fact that Kate spends all day chatting (very loudly, so it can be heard all the way down the corridor). I think there may be a coup d'etat.
no subject
Date: 2003-10-15 05:29 am (UTC)you are right about Julie. Hypochondriacs need an audience. She's probably secretly wishing to be struck down with your virus.
no subject
Date: 2003-10-15 05:03 am (UTC)And I hope I didn't give you my illness- I've finally decided to bite the bullet and visit the doctor's this afternoon.
Glad you seem to be having something approaching fun... :-)
no subject
Date: 2003-10-15 05:19 am (UTC)As for you giving me your virus: that'd give a whole new meaning to the phrase "computer virus".
no subject
Date: 2003-10-15 05:28 am (UTC):-)
And if I ever actually work out a way to give people computer viruses, a whole lot of idiots who use the net are going to be sorry... :-)
gets out the jar with holes punched in the lid
Date: 2003-10-15 06:44 am (UTC)And if its NOT the american tv show... sorry for the long joss ramble ;)
Re: gets out the jar with holes punched in the lid
Date: 2003-10-15 07:30 am (UTC)Re: gets out the jar with holes punched in the lid
Date: 2003-10-15 09:27 am (UTC)Re: gets out the jar with holes punched in the lid
Date: 2003-10-15 09:33 am (UTC)Anyway, it sounds like an awesome time, wish I coulda been there! And get better...
- Nakanaide
Re: gets out the jar with holes punched in the lid
Date: 2003-10-15 03:43 pm (UTC)Hey,
> From what I HEAR its got a POSSIBLE movie life coming up
Joss is in closing negotiations with Universal. The cast are already talking about getting back together and the effects house has said it's gearing up. It was announced in CNN and on The Holywood reporter and the film in on the IMDB (okay, I did that) :-)
> and the eps that DID get shown here will soon be available as a cd
> boxed set.
9th December release including all the filmed but unshown episodes and load of extras.
> whatever they called cordy and connor's 'lovechild')
Jasmine.
> I really hope the movie deal comes through, since that in turn 'might'
> cause a network to rethink the series.
We can only hope.
Meanwhile if anyone is interested there is a *very* active Firefly community on http://forums.prospero.com/foxfirefly/messages that's hammered out almost 600,000 posts in the last 16 months.
Dave (Yes, the N-word one :-p)
Re: gets out the jar with holes punched in the lid
Date: 2003-10-16 01:59 am (UTC)Re: gets out the jar with holes punched in the lid
Date: 2003-10-16 02:20 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-10-16 05:05 am (UTC)Firefly:- Awesome show. Mix a western with low tec space/scifi and a little humour, and you have firefly in a nutshell. The characters are all stereotypes, but that just adds to the fun. (I'm trying to run an RPG based in the Firefly universe online at www.rpol.net
7th Sea. Cracking little swashbuckling RPG (from the same guys that gave us "A Legend of Five Rings") Superb setting, excellent system.
Needs good players / GM to REALLY work tho.
If you have no luck playing the CD, I'll see if I can copy you the Videos of Firefly that I have fom when it was shown on Sci-fi channel.
We got to see two or three episodes that the Americans didn't.
We also gotthem in the correct order (The Americans, I believe, saw the Pilot as thier last episode)
no subject
Date: 2003-10-16 05:37 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-10-16 05:54 am (UTC)DOH!!