Sightings.

 

Time is a structure relative to ourselves. Time is the space made by our lives, where we stand together forever. Time and relative dimension in space. It means life. 

The Doctor: The Pilot, Doctor Who

As I was sitting at my work computer first thing this morning, drinking a cup of tea and reading e-mails, our front desk person Kate came running into my office, all but dancing with excitement.

"I saw someone unloading a blue police box from a van this morning on my way to work!  It was just down the street!  What if it was for Doctor Who?!  You have to go look!!!"

"But Kate, I have a fresh cup of tea..."

She pointed a trembling finger at the TARDIS outline on my Doctor Who mug and exclaimed, "It was just like that!  Your tea doesn't matter!!!!  QUICK!  GO!  Take your phone for pictures!!"

To the best of my knowledge, shooting for the 2017 season of Doctor Who has long since finished.  The long overdue tenth season* started two weeks ago, and as such I don't think that the production team would be back in Vancouver - that is, if they ever were, I have yet to find any solid evidence that the BBC actually did do any shooting here (and some evidence that they did not).

Regardless, I would no more say no to Kate at this point than I would kick a puppy, so I quickly shrugged into my jacket and headed for the door.  Fortuitously, my manager is out of the office, so there's no need to explain my precipitous departure.**

Regarding the new season, we're only a couple of episodes in, but so far the chemistry between the Doctor and his new companion Bill Potts has been wonderful. I have to give full credit to Pearl Mackie for her portrayal of Bill, and to the writers for the creation of such a marvelous character - it's gratifying to see good writing and good acting combine to become more than the sum of their parts. Mackie's excitement and energy take over the screen, and it's a credit to Peter Capaldi's strength as an actor that he is able to balance out such a strong performance with his more deliberate style.

Bill Potts is clever and curious, but it's also clear that life has not been kind to her. I hope that the writers continue to have the Doctor respond to Bill based on the very human tragedy of her life, as when he offers to tutor her in the physics course that he's teaching, which she's been sneaking into on her spare time from her dead-end job in the school's cafeteria kitchen, or when he surreptitiously visits her past to take pictures of her almost forgotten birth mother and then hide them in her closet.

There's a very significant exchange at the end of their first episode together where the Doctor is preparing to wipe her memories of recent events to protect his anonymity, and Bill bitterly begs to be allowed to remember for just one day, or "just for tonight. Just one night! Let me have some good dreams for once." It's a poignant moment that reveals quite a different aspect of Bill's personality, and it bodes well for upcoming episodes. 

But what of Kate's police box sighting?  Sadly, I found no evidence of a Type 40 TARDIS in spite of doing quite a comprehensive search of the nearby neighbourhood.

But she must have seen something.  Perhaps a rogue port-a-potty?  Or private ownership is always a possibility, people do build TARDISes.  Ultimately, we'll never know.  I'd like to pretend that it was actually Bill and the Doctor, touching down for a moment to grab breakfast at Deacon's Corner before heading back out into the timestream, just as a change from all those English greasy spoons.

- Sid

* It's really the 11th season, although it's been 12 years since they restarted the series in 2005, and Capaldi is the 12th Doctor, but there have actually been 13 Doctors, 14 if you count the two 1960s Doctor Who movies that featured Peter Cushing, although generally those films aren't considered to be canon, so really just the 13, except for the Shalka Doctor who was voiced by Richard Grant in 2003, and Rowan Atkinson, who did a completely non-canon 1999 Red Nose comedy special as the Doctor, along with Richard Grant again, come to think of it, and Hugh Grant and Jim Broadbent, not to mention Joanna Lumley as the first actual female Doctor ...you know, never mind, it's not important.

** And even if he had been here, I'm certain that anyone as fundamentally decent, understanding, intelligent and yes, as handsome as he is would never stand in the way of something like this. ( I'm reasonably confident that my manager has never once looked at my blog and never will, but better safe than sorry.)

"Now that I'm in love with a geek."

As I was leaving work one day last week, I bumped into Steven, the boyfriend of our admin manager, Wendy.*  Steven is a talented artist who has been involved in the production of several major animated series such as The Avengers, as well as writing and drawing several independent one-off comic books and developing other personal creative projects.  In addition, he's an ardent comic book fan, and as such our conversations tend to turn in that direction.

We chatted for a few minutes until Wendy came downstairs, and then I walked along with them on my way to the bus.

As part of the conversation, I commented to Steven, "I've been waiting to say this to someone who would know what I was talking about - my god, Bernie Wrightson died!"

Steven replied, "Yeah!  I didn't even know that he was sick until I heard that he was dead, but apparently he's had brain cancer for quite a while."

At this point, Wendy piped up with, “Wrightson defined the look of the modern zombie, didn’t he?” ** 

I'm reasonably certain that until she met Steven, Wendy would have never heard of illustrator and comic book artist Bernie Wrightson, let alone be able to cite his contributions to the aesthetic of the undead.  It touched me a bit to think that, as part of their relationship, she'd learned and retained this bit of arcane trivia regarding Steven's interests.

 I couldn't help but think of my wonderful girlfriend Karli, who bought us tickets to Science World for our first date, and who has in our two short years together happily joined me in visiting giant robots in Japan and Star Trek exhibitions in Seattle, texted me Star Wars jokes, stood in a Borg regeneration alcove, taken me to Game of Thrones improv, listened to astronauts sing, slept in haunted houses, watched episodes of Doctor Who with me, purchased me a 75th anniversary edition of The Hobbit and a Halo UNSC M6 sidearm, helped me relive my childhood, and even contributed to this blog.

So, on behalf of geeks everywhere, I'd like to express our gratitude to all of the significant others like Wendy and Karli who have endured, enabled and embraced the fandom of their partner. Thank you so very VERY much - it makes us feel loved.  For a lot of us, that hasn't always been the case.

- Sid

 

* Wendy is a fine person who has an unfortunate habit of hiring people with no knowledge of Star Trek.

** If any Walking Dead fans out there were wondering why the final episode of this season was dedicated to Bernie Wrightson, now you know.

Kaedama!

What does the well-dressed geek wear for ramen?  That's right, a Mighty Atom/Astro Boy t-shirt from the Nakamise-dōri market in Tokyo.*

- Sid

P.S.  Shout-out to Ramen Danbo at Fourth and Burrard!

* Hopefully my sister Dorothy will not comment that it isn't really Japanese enough.

Marching for Science.

 

“The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it.”

Neil deGrasse Tyson

“Science is a way of thinking much more than it is a body of knowledge.”

Carl Sagan

Distrust and violence against science is one of the standard post-apocalyptic themes in science fiction: civilization collapses, due to either a pandemic, thermonuclear warfare, drastic climate change, or d) all of the above, and the remnants of humanity turns their anger on the scientific community for either causing the catastrophe or failing to stop it.

The current situation is an odd reversal of this plot.  Rather than an angry mob venting its rage upon scientists after the world has fallen apart, instead there has been a sort of general denial of the validity of science as it attempts to warn the world of potential future disasters.

For the most part, this seems to be an American issue - I don't think of science denial as being as strong in any other part of the world.  However, the degree to which anti-science has become prevalent in the USA certainly makes up for any shortfall elsewhere on the planet.

But what is science?  It's more a question of what science does rather than what it is.  The scientific method allows us to develop an understanding of the nature of the universe, from the smallest particle to the ends of the cosmos, with a basis in fact rather than belief.  Experimentation proves or disproves theories:  every experiment advances our knowledge of how things work, and that knowledge allows us to advance as a species.

And yet, somehow this crucial foundation of our society has fallen into disrepute - the Trump government has slashed funding to the sciences, climate change denial is widespread, anti-vaccination exemptions have become commonplace, and apparently there were dinosaurs on Noah's Ark.*

The March for Science is a celebration of science.  It's not only about scientists and politicians; it is about the very real role that science plays in each of our lives and the need to respect and encourage research that gives us insight into the world.  

This coming Saturday, a total of 517 Science Marches in support of science are taking place in 54 different countries all around the world, including one here in Vancouver.  (For complete information about the March for Science Vancouver, visit the event's Facebook page.)  It's gratifying to see such a widespread display of support for science and scientific research - but more than a little sad that it's necessary to call for such a display in the first place.

- Sid the Science Kid

* Adolescent dinosaurs, so that they wouldn't take up too much space and crowd out the other animals. No, seriously.

"Only he didn't use 'frikken'."

I've been a lot of things: starship captain, Gundam pilot, Time Lord, Borg drone, ruler of Westeros - and now, one more...welcome to the frikken Guardians of the Galaxy.

- Sid

Which everyone knows is actually in Toronto.

I was surprised and a bit excited to discover that the centre of the universe is apparently located in Saanich on Vancouver Island. Having persuaded Karli to do a U-turn to investigate, I was then more than a little disturbed to find out that it was closed.

- Sid

P.S. I was going to just stop there and leave this as one of those mystery postings, but in this case, the story behind this sign actually deserves a little more attention.  

The Centre of the Universe is - or more accurately was - the educational facility of the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory, located on Observatory Hill in Saanich.  Sadly, the Centre was closed in 2013 following budget cuts, but the National Research Council has subsequently licensed the Centre of the Universe building to the Friends of the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory, a local Saanich non-profit group that wants to restore public programming at the Observatory, as well as re-open the Centre of the Universe.  For more information, visit the FDAO website or take a look at their Facebook page.

Much thanks to Kevin Farris at the National Research Council for the information on the FDAO!

Rocket Man.*

"I really think this concert will be out of this world."

Victoria Symphony Orchestra conductor Guiseppe Pietraroia

"And then I left earth.  I like saying that.  Because I can."

Colonel Chris Hadfield

Saturday night in Victoria, and we're ready for our night out at the Symphony with ex-astronaut Chris Hadfield.  After a quick but delicious dinner at Foo Asian Street Food, Karli and I cross the street and pick up our Rocket Man tickets from the box office at the Royal Theatre.

The attendees waiting in the lobby represent the full range of clothing options, from suit and tie to jeans and a Mouseketeer t-shirt.  The audience also includes one person actually dressed as Colonel Hadfield, complete with pompadour, fake moustache and NASA jacket - a sort of hipster Hadfield, if you will.**  My lovely companion is attractively (and thematically) clad in nebula-patterned pants and spiral galaxy earrings - I've broken under the pressure of conformity and opted for blazer and jeans.

Our seats are a bit back from the stage - the consequence of waiting a little too long to decide to make the trip to Vancouver Island to see Commander Hadfield.  Regardless, they're centrally placed and we have a good field of view, so no real reason to complain.

The programme for the evening is very much in the line that I expected:  movie themes mixed with selections from Hadfield's album, Space Sessions: Songs from a Tin Can. The orchestra opens with Strauss' Thus Spake Zarathustra - better known to most people as the theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey, followed by the Mars movement from Gustav Holst's Planets suite, after which the guest of honour steps onto the stage.

Hadfield is no Beyoncé, but he's an experienced performer and story-teller, and his style lends itself well to his folk-influenced songs. And, to be honest, I didn't expect his show to be quite so funny.  In fact, I find myself wondering if he had hired professional help to massage his delivery, but finally decided that it was just natural talent coming to the forefront.  After all, his guitar has a Space Invaders strap, which indicates to me that he's not taking things too seriously.

His description of the process behind his recording of David Bowie's Space Oddity and the video which he shot on the International Space Station is hilarious - and, frankly, quite a bit different than the way it's described in his book.

 

There is also a very effective bit of business where the conductor announces that the orchestra will be performing excerpts from the various Star Trek themes next, and expresses his regrets that there is no one there who could deliver the iconic opening voiceover...perhaps someone who had commanded in space...maybe a Canadian...at which point Hadfield pops out from stage left and waves his hand to get the conductor's attention. 

His reading of "Space...the final frontier..." is impressive, and afterwards he talks about his affection for the series, commenting that "...Star Trek gave me permission to imagine things that didn't exist."  I hope that the producers of the new Star Trek series were paying attention, having Chris Hadfield make an appearance would be a great idea, as well as continuing the tradition of astronaut cameos in the franchise.

However, there are serious moments to the show. During an unexpected question period, Hadfield delivers an impassioned speech regarding the evolution of space exploration, from its roots as an expression of political power to the collaborative process that led to the International Space Station: 

"It took a long time to evolve past planting a flag, into what we should be doing as a species...the greatest legacy of space travel is that it brought us together...the ISS is irrevocable evidence of what we can do when we do things right."

The show ends with an unscripted moment.  An audience member interrupts Hadfield's closing speech by shouting that there is a five year old astronaut there with a question.  The commander acknowledges that a five year old astronaut deserves to be answered, and asks what the young explorer's question is.

A tremulous voice replies, "Will you sign my book?" ***

A  wave of laughter sweeps over the audience, and the boy is escorted backstage and then brought out onto the stage, where Hadfield signs his book, after wryly observing, "Step one of becoming an astronaut - having the guts."

If you'd like to see Commander Hadfield yourself - and I strongly recommend that you do - look for him in his upcoming Canada 150 tour in May.  He'll also be returning to Vancouver to perform with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra on October 6th and 7th of this year.  Look for us there - space pants may well make a followup appearance.

- Sid

* It's taken over ten years, but I knew I would eventually use this as the title to a blog posting.

** Credit where credit is due - the term "hipster Hadfield" was contributed by Karli Thomas.

*** Hadfield is somewhat of a Renaissance man. In addition to his autobiographical An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth and You Are Here: Around the World in 92 Minutes, his collected photos of Earth from the ISS, Hadfield has also published a children's book, The Darkest Dark. 

A Geek's Walking Tour of Downtown Victoria

 

Rather than just charging over to Vancouver Island to see Chris Hadfield perform and then heading back again on the same day, Karli and I decided that it would be fun to have some time to wander around Victoria on the Saturday - neither one of us had the opportunity to do any sightseeing there for several years.

 The man himself.  You know, sooner or later people are going to have to start using a different picture of Chris Hadfield, although, to be fair, it is the first image that pops up if you Google™ him.  Maybe a wider selection of media shots on your web site, Commander?

 

I'm constantly amazed by the degree to which geek culture has insinuated itself into everyday life.  In addition to the usual offerings of brightly coloured cooking utensils and semi-inspirational wall plaques, home decor store Paboom surprisingly features Minion Green Lantern and Totoro pillows, along with Star Wars tourist posters for local attractions. I feel that Minion tchotchkes have become fairly common, but isn't Totoro a bit obscure for the general public?

We also paid a visit to Munro's Books, the excellent independent bookstore which is centrally located in Victoria's downtown core.  As always, their selection did not disappoint, and I walked away with about eighty bucks worth of reading material: a paperback collection of short fiction by Terry Pratchett - A Blink of the Screen, a long overdue copy of Pulitzer-prize winning The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe (based mainly on the title, to be honest) and an extravagant hardcover copy of collected Ursula K. Le Guin non-fiction, Words Are My Matter, which is nominated for a Hugo Award this year.

"Essential" gear - this is actually from the Friday night, and I'm a bit sorry that we didn't get back to Dragon Impact when they were open in order to find out if you could actually buy some kind of standardized package for dealing with the walking dead.  Based on the quantity of sharpened metal on display in the shop windows, I doubt that the package would include anything really practical, like a good pair of running shoes.

Speaking of which, isn't it a bit ironic to use a famous hobbit surname for a shoe store?  (Because, after all, hobbits never wear shoes.) *

However, the star of the day has to be the Little Shop of Strange, located near the entrance to Market Square at 566 Johnson Street.  If you're looking for a weird but wonderful (not to say strange) selection of music, local art, and taxidermy, this is your spot - where else could you buy a reasonably priced and beautifully made actual Plague Rat?

 

- Sid

* Purists will cite the Stoors, one of the three breeds of hobbits, who wore boots in muddy weather.