AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: The Magic Of Reality: How We Know What's Really True

This science book is a little different to most, in that it's aimed at children primarily and each chapter is set out by starting with a collection of myths from around the world to explain things from the movement of the sun, the creation of the world, and why bad things happen. It then explains the beauty of the scientific explanations of the myths, all accompanied by helpful drawings. Unlike Dawkins' previous books, this is purely a scientific book and not an attack at religion at any point.

Before I start, the version of the book I listened to (there's a clue) was the audiobook as opposed to the illustrated book. Now, for the most part this wasn't a hinderance in any way. The scientific processes were described with enough clarity that the illustrations weren't necessary. However, there were a couple of times where I thought that a child would benefit from the visual representations if not familiar with many scientific principles.

This is billed as a science book for children, and he does a good job of making the science pretty accessible, but it's not too simplified and there's plenty for all ages who are interested in science. People who are particularly adept may not actually learn anything new about science, but there's still other information of interest here besides science, including many myths and superstitions from the past, and the most important bit, common misconceptions about statistics which pervade to most adults even today. Ultimately, this is a great introductory book to science for anyone interested in the subject and a good read if you already are conversant.

Where this book does fall down is on it's main aim - highlighting the beauty of reality as told scientifically, opposed to the vague explantions of myths and religion. There is only one section - about light and rainbows - where he really does seem to get across just how beautiful it is in the eyes of science. The other chapters just read like an explanation of the science and you're to infer how beautiful it is. It doesn't seem to be told with the same enthusiasm which is a shame.

The best thing about this though, is being taught science by the President of Gallifrey.

Score:

0/7 - Non-existant
1/7 - As bad as you can get
2/7 - Poor
3/7 - Quite poor / too many poor points / didn't like it
3.5/7 - Neither good nor bad / undecided
4/7 - Quite good / plenty of good points / liked it
5/7 - Good
6/7 - As good as you can get
7/7 - Impossible perfection

Author: Richard Dawkins
Narration: Richard Dawkins and Lalla Ward

Publisher: Bantam Press (UK) / Free Press (US)
Released: 15 September 2011 (UK) / 4 October 2011 (US)
Formats: Book, Audio, iPad

This Time I'm Right - Star Trek Edition

This movie makes me sentimental for a period of Star Trek I couldn't give a shit about - not that I don't care for the franchise or anything, DS9 is one of the best serials around - just I never really liked the original crew's adventures. Maybe sentimental's the wrong word - more respect. Not just for the characters and how good the new actors are, but also how well written they are. Each character had an interesting inroduction or part in the story.

Beyond that, the whole thing is just so well written and it's not just a reboot or retelling, it actually continues the universe from where other movies left off. Not story-wise, but chronologically. That's what I love most, everything that we know has happeneding in the movies and series, has still happened, it is not wiped out of continuity. And we now also get to build a new continuity. Brilliant scripting.

I also like how a lot of it is explained with made up science and is consistent within its own universe, but they also explain it with, and use science, as we understand it and not just settle for technobabble and leave it.

But wait, towards the end, could this be a low point? Oh look, a giant drill fallling to Earth, heading towards a famous landmark to destroy, how typically boring... wait, it missed? No damage? Another reason why this movie is great.

Honestly, there is nothing in this movie I can have a go at. It's full of great action scenes and characters all the way through.

Read About Me Being Wrong About Things On The Internet - The Terra Nova Edition

 ...beacuse Earth 2 wasn't enough damnit!, and other stories.

Earth has become inhospitable and depleted of resources, and the only way to save the human population is to start a new settlement somewhere. Unfortunately in the new settlement, there is a faction that infiltrated them with an alternate agenda. I enjoyed this show, but unfortunately Earth 2 was cancelled after a season. Now it's back with another name - Terra Nova. Anyway, on their way to the new settlement, a news report in the background explaining time travel mentions quantum mechanics before getting talked over so we can't hear the explanation. I thought we were going to get a detailed scientific explanation for a second. Are we not going to get an explanation? We do find out later though that a 'rift' in spacetime was discovered, a probe was sent in but was lost so they don't know where the other end ends up, but they assume it's another universe. Being a one-way trip and no way of knowing what's on the other side, they guess it's worth the risk and send people after people through for years. Just hoping everything is okay I guess. On the other side, thankfully everyone is okay and a colony has been set up on that Universe's Earth, 85 million years in the past. So, instead of the new settlement being on another Earth-like planet - it's on another Earth. Couldn't they have also got Rebecca Gayheart to come back too? Anyway, with the Second Law Of Thermodynamics still intact, I can now sit back and enjoy a story of how a wooden fence is enough to keep people away from Dinosaurs*.

Besides the attacks from Dinosaurs and kids sneaking off outside camp grounds to drink moonshine, there's also the infiltrators who know the real reason Terra Nova was formed - whoever controls the past (of an alternate universe Earth i presume), controls the future (of an alternate universe Earth i presume), and they draw cymbols and calculations in the earth just so we've something pretty to look at.

Not entirely too terrible, so I'll watch a few more epiosdes of Earth 2 Terra Nova (seriously, is there a fucking difference?) and see if they actually do something that wasn't already done in 1994.

* I don't need The Second Law Of Thermodynamics to be intact to enjoy things.


Other things

Read About Me Being Wrong About Things On The Internet - Star Trek Edition Part 1

Like my previous Star Wars entry, I decided to watch the Star Trek movies again. The main reasons for this are that the Post Atomic Horror podcast are currently reviewing the movies so I'll know what they're talking about when I listen, and also it's been a good long while since I last watched them. My friends seem to like them and I thought it interesting to see how they hold up.

Firstly, I'm/they're only doing the first six movies - the Kirk ones. Also, because of my PCRA, I got the movies mixed up in my memory. Many scenes from [V] and [VI] I remembered as being from [I], [III] I thought was actually [II]. Anyway, onto the films themselves.

The Motion Picture, at least on BluRay, was very pretty. Whilst not downright terrible, it was rather slow.
The Wrath Of Khan, or the one everyone seems to rave about, seemed okay, but I thought the third one was slightly better. Although both struggled to hold my interest.
The Voyage Home is the one I remember most clearly, but then again, how am I even going to confuse that storyline with any other? Also, the best movie so far.
Why The Final Frontier even exists, I don't know.
The Undiscovered Country is more like it. This one felt like it was deserving of being a movie to me. Had more of what I expect from a movie than the others and was all round more entertaining.

I think I'd be more inclined to watch these again than I would Star Wars again.

DW 152 - House Of Blue Fire Review

Just reviewed the following over at Wandering In The Fourth Dimension

Seventh Doctor

Cast:

The Doctor - Sylvester McCoy
Dr Magnus Soames - Timothy West
No 18 - Amy Pemberton
No 5 - Miranda Keeling
No 16 - Ray Emmet Brown
No 12 - Howard Gossington
Eve Pritchard/Mi'en Kalarash - Lizzy Watts

Synopsis:

"aquaphobia n. An abnormal fear of water, or drowning.

blattodephobia n. The morbid fear of cockroaches.

catoptrophobia n. Fear of mirrors, or seeing one’s own reflection.

There’s a whole ABC of horrors at Bluefire House – as four young people, drawn together to this tumbledown hotel at the edge of nowhere, are about to discover. But whatever the ancient and foul thing that has emerged from the wilderness to drag them here, speaking of it will only strengthen it.

The Doctor alone knows what lurks at the heart of Bluefire House. But the monster of his childhood dreams is coming. The Mi’en Kalarash is coming…

Just this once, the Doctor’s afraid."


Click here to read the review over at my new b--g - Wandering In The Fourth Dimension

Read About Me Being Wrong About Things On The Internet - Star Wars Edition

So yeagh, I've just recently watched the all new super improved Blu Ray version of the Star Wars films. The last time I watched 1, 2, and 3 were when they were released and 4, 5, and 6 just prior to that. I've never really been a fan of the films either. I remember thinking them being entertaining enough but nothing great. I also remember enjoying Phantom Menace too and wondering why everyone seemed to hate it. Anyway, the shiny new versions come out so I thought I'd revisit them and see what I think in comparison. This isn't an in depth review or anything either but in general, taking the Prequel Trilogy (Phantom to Revenge), they get better with each successive movie. Phantom was nowhere near as entertaining as I remember it to be and there's the occasional good moments in the films but I think I can say I'd be quite happy to not watch any of them again. I gather a lot of people aren't that impressed with these either... or maybe they are. I don't know, I don't really care.

As for the Original Trilogy, again, I remember enjoying them more when I was younger and while there were some good scenes, I was more bored than entertained. I'd say they're the better Trilogy though. As for which one is the better movie, I'm going to have to go with 4, just seemed to have more to it than the others for me. Then as for Empire and Jedi, well, that's a close call and I find it hard to seperate them. But if pushed, I think I'd fall on the side of Jedi, though that could just be spite, which is a perfectly valid selection method anyway.

So there you have it, another person on the internet being wrong.

Next time I'll be taking a look at the Star Trek movies

REVIEW: Doctor Who 151 - Doomsday Quatrain

New review posted over at Wandering In The Fourth Dimension for:-

CAST:

Seventh Doctor - Sylvester McCoy
Nostradamus/Conclave Leader - David Schofield
Brors/Captain of the Guard/Bernardo - John Banks
Garilund/Computer Voice - Caroline Keiff
Kren/Second Nuncio - Derek Carlyle
Larrett/Milo/First Nuncio - Nicholas Chambers

SYNOPSIS:

"When the river is gone, ships shall sail in the sky, monsters bring fire from the heavens. All will fall into a grey and endless sea, and Doomsday has come.
Florence, the sixteenth century. No one thought to pay much attention to the prophecies of the so-called seer Michel de Nostradame, otherwise known as Nostradamus. Until the canals of Venice dried. Until the soothsayer's sayings started coming true…
Because Master Nostradamus is right, in all respects. The end of the world is nigh. The ships are coming. The monsters are coming. The fire is coming. There's only one thing he didn’t see coming, in fact: the sudden apparition of a certain strange Doctor, in his even stranger TARDIS. Today, the Earth dies screaming. And all the Doctor can do is watch."

I've put up a review of the below over at my new, Doctor Who only b--g - Wandering In The Fourth Dimension if anyone's interested.

Fourth Doctor and Mrs Wibbsey

CAST:

The Doctor - Tom Baker
Mrs Wibbsey - Susan Jameson
Father Gregory - Tom Baker
Tsar - Michael Jayston
Tsarina - Suzy Aitchison
Boolin - Simon Shepherd
Lucius - Sam Hoare
Server Robot / Rebel - Paul Chequer
Server Robot / Rebel - Grant Gillespie
Server Robot / Rebel - Gabriel Vick

Writer: Paul Magrs
Director: Kate Thomas
Publisher: AudioGO
Release Date: 8th September, 2011

Streamlining...

I've decided to move all my Doctor Who related activity into a separate b--g. You can find the new b--g thusly:-

Travelling In The Fourth Dimension

REVIEW: Doctor Who 150 - Recorded Time And Other Stories

Sixth Doctor and Peri

A collection of four short stories featuring the Sixth Doctor and Peri.