supersecretthingy — redefine your heroes
Daddy Want!
As much as I lust for a PowerMacBook or seriously consider reformatting my laptop with Ubuntu Linux, one truth remains: something like the OQO Model 02 is what I *really* want my next portable computer to be.
The OQO 02 is powered by a 1.5GHz ultra low-voltage CPU that breezes through Windows XP or Vista. There is 1GB (max) RAM, and up to 60GB hard drive. The 5″ 800×480 outdoor-readable glossy TFT is nothing short of spectacular; it slides up to reveal the keyboard. It also has 802.11a/b/g WiFi and Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR stereo headset support.
That’s right: this uPC (ultra Portable Computer) is more powerful than my current laptop, and is about the size of a Gameboy Advance. Runs about 1500 to 2000 bucks. Bonus: it even runs WoW. :)
Holy moly
A modern remake of the Bionic Woman series is the worst idea ever in the history of everything. Right?
NBC is doing it. It’s coming this fall.
It’s from the folks who created the new Battlestar Galactica. Could they possible take yet another old show and recreate it to make it better than it has any right to be?
NBC has released a 60-second clip of the show to YouTube.
Bionic Woman
The answer is “yes.”
[Heroes] This makes me happy
‘Heroes’ Expands Universe with ‘Origins’ quasi-spinoff
The network has hit upon a way to keep the show off of reruns for nearly the entire season, ordering more episodes of the show and embarking on a quasi-spinoff called “Heroes: Origins.” Combined, the shows will account for 30 original episodes next season.
Essentially, the Origins one-off episodes will focus on the background of newly introduced characters. Awesome.
A quick word about one thing I really like about the Heroes character concepts: with a few notable exceptions (Peter, Syler) the paranormals are all fairly limited in the scope of their abilities (“I do one thing, and I figure out cool ways to apply that one thing in multiple situations.”), and the writers aren’t afraid to create people whose one ability is very … non-comic-traditional-booky. “The guy who can can hear really well” is never going to suit up for the X-men. In a way not unlike InSpectres, the “Cool” thing about each character is the ways in which they are wholly human, not the ways in which they are not.
And yes, there are some people who totally could, as Peter says, “run around in a cape with my underwear outside my pants” in a ‘normal’ comic book. Clair. Nikki/Jessica. D.L. Their son Micah… Hmm. Sensing a theme?
Related Links:
* As the originator/creator/builder of Fireflywiki.org, I have feel a lot of respect (and surprise) for NBC creating and hosting a Heroes Wiki on their main site.
* I feel like geeking out. Here’s some Heroes Swag I can buy to accomplish that.
Can hardly wait for the season finale next week.
Dammit
Let’s talk about Drive
Once again, the battle is on.
This is how it works.
Tim Minear executive produces a show for Fox. (think Firefly, Wonderfalls or The Inside)
Critics say mostly nice things about the show.
Fox cancels the show in <13 episodes.
Somehow, despite this, Minear keeps going back, and Fox keeps paying him. Drive is the latest entry into the Dark Tower cycle of destruction.
And of course I like it. A lot.
Now, I have to first point out that that doesn’t automatically mean that the show is doomed. Not entirely. I like Heroes, right? (Of course, WHEN is that going to air again? Damn…) Generally, Minear’s stuff is pretty wacky and hard to get into the mainstream, and THAT is why they struggle. Firefly: cowboys and spaceships… whatever Wonderfalls elevator-pitches as… et cetera.Drive isn’t like that. This thing is (on paper) a mainstream slamdunk, embodying concepts from a number of shows that do pretty darn well — it’s got 24’s time-crunch feel, the ‘chase’ elements of Prison Break a large but memorable cast with some great anti-heroes (like um… Heroes). Wonderfalls might have suffered from casual neglect and Firefly was all but sabotaged, but Fox is really getting behind Drive and promoting the heck out of it.
So what’s it about?
Simply Lovely
Neil Gaiman has begun writing his next book. Longhand, apparently, which both impresses and awes me. He details part of the process here, with pretty pictures.
For those of you who missed it:
You can watch all three episodes of Drive in HD, sans commercials, here.
Caveat — you need to view the page in IE, and use their embedded player.
Go. Watch. Set your recorders for Monday nights. What ELSE are yah gonna watch as the summer TV doldrums hit?
((Thanks to Jae for the tip!))