The US viewing of this series has been through a few permutations. Firstly, in the US it's been called MI 5 consistently. Around 2003 or so some episodes were shown on A&E (owned by Universal and part of NBC) cable network, currently many PBS stations are showing episodes. I'm not sure how caref...

The Difference Engine by Sterling and Gibson. For my bookgroup on Saturday.

Her Smoke Rose up Forever , anthology of short stories all by James Tiptree Jr. Includes Houston, Houston, Do You Read? , The Women that Men Don't See and Her Smoke Rose up Forever . It's for our monthly reading group at the public library in Oak Park, Illinois. FYI, this selection was my suggestio...

My favorite of new things is Gunslinger Girls it is so good, and I get my fix through IFC On Demand. Girl s with dire and potentially mortal health conditions are recruited by a secret governmental agency, given cybernetic implants and trained as 'wet' works specialists. Each girl has a handler and ...

Andy Hallet's death a tragedy. IIRC, Glenn Quinn (Doyle, Angel's first assistant when he came to LA) died at 36.

(I'm throwing bomb in middle of room and running away to watch the chaos) Best War movie: Grave of the Fireflies.

This movie is one of all time favorites, and ranks up with Pan's Labyrinth . However, I'm now discussing the book. This book, IMO, is only surpassed by McKinley's Sunshine in the category of modern vampire literature. The movie is not exactly the book; IOW, the book takes some interesting and differ...

Rather than join this group's racous and vigorous condemnation of the litigous I'll offer some alternative information. This actually refers to point brought up before. It was pointed out that an insurance company wanted and required a statement of third party indemnifcation regarding any claims and...

What Zahir (David) said!

Soldier of the Mist by Gene Wolfe, and it's for a reading group. It's way better than Oryx and Crake.

Being as I know alot of fans who happen to be a bit younger than me, they happen to be all gamers and most are to varying degrees into anime and manga. (BTW, regarding the gaming aspect this is totally something I don't get at all, and that's a different discussion) Manga and anime I've tried to get...

True Blood based on book series by Charlaine Harris shown on HBO Cable since premiering on Sept. 7, 2008. Over the past summer there was lots of advertisements and hype built up over this new vampire series and how it was based on an exptremely popular book series. (Examples of the hype, lots of li...

Since Sept. 21 or so Dexter has returned to Showtime Cable. It remains very good. Much better than some of the other new offerings on premium cable.

On to a happier read, last weekend I read The Girl That Was Plugged In by James Tiptree Jr. Much better than OaC.

Early in Sept. for a book group I'm in I had the misfortune to read Oryx and Crake, and what a horrid piece of steaming crap. NOt written in a style I liked, not telling a story I cared to hear, and if not for the reading group I'd not finished it.

This might become a longish message, but here goes anyway. If the point was covered by Duchess and/or Aliantha then ignore my blather. The academy generally speaking ignores popular culture and its products; however, the excpetion is made in order for sociologist/anthropologist to study it like one ...

Does everyone know there are extremist views about the eliminition of religious influences in political life (FYI, it comes from what is called the 'liberal/enligntenment thought' in Europe); examples, in France's Third REpublic (1871 - 1941) minister's of religion were constitutionally disenfranchi...

Are we limited to mentioning the well known and/or living women authors? James L. Tiptree (pseudonym for Alice Sheldon), been dead for nearly 25 yrs., and mainly known for short stories or novella length work. However, The Women that Men Don't See and Houston, Houston, Do you Read? are classic texts...

Stardust, not really recent because it was out last summer, and may not fit into the SciFi definition, was very, very good and I enjoyed it alot. Clone Wars was better than many other Star Wars texts (PM, AotC, RotS).

I'd heard a few years back that Paul Darrow (Avvon) had negoitiated all rights to the series from Terry Nation's widow and his estate.