The Ministry of Truth.

Now this is quite clever - I'm impressed as both a graphic designer and a reader.

- Sid

(If it's not obvious right away, just click on the image to enlarge it.)

But then, isn’t everything?

My lovely wife needed to venture out into the cold this morning to buy a book for her sister's birthday, and invited me to join her on her shopping trip.  I'm always happy to visit a bookstore, so I accepted her invitation, and after breakfast we headed off to our neighbourhood Indigo.

After finding the requested gift book, we wandered around the store a bit, and stopped for a minute at a display of books that had been adapted to television or film, which included Station Eleven, by Emily St. John Mandel.  I'd already read the original text in digital format shortly after watching the miniseries on Prime, and unexpectedly found that I preferred the visual adaptation to the novel.  Nonetheless, I was willing to support the author by buying a paper copy of the book, so I casually picked up the display copy.  To my amazement, it was priced at $50 CAD.

I've complained in the past about the high price of books, but  hardcover or not, that's just a ridiculous number - and I can't help but feel that somehow, ultimately, this is Donald Trump's fault.

- Sid

"My God, Bones... what have I done?"

Torg: My lord, the ship appears to be deserted.

Kruge: How can that be? They're hiding!
Torg: Yes, sir. The ship appears to be run by computer. It is the only thing that is speaking.
Kruge: Speaking? Let me hear it.
Enterprise computer:  9-8-7-6-5...
Kruge: Get out! Get out of there! Get out!
Enterprise computer: 2-1...

The Search for Spock

When I saw the footage of the debris from the SpaceX Starship explosion this week, I was immediately reminded of the scene from 1984's Star Trek III: The Search For Spock, where the remnants of the U.S.S. Enterprise destructively re-enter the atmosphere of the Genesis planet that was created during the climax of The Wrath of Khan.

 

The various photos and videos of the SpaceX iteration actually look more impressive than the Star Trek version - lots of scatter, brighter flare from the re-entry burn, and more details in the debris - but then, Elon Musk is estimated to have spent at least $100M USD on creating this one shot, which is a lot more than Industrial Light & Magic had in their budget for the entire movie back in 1984.

- Sid

 

 

P.S. Hey, trivia fans - until researching this posting, I had no idea that a young John Larroquette played the role of Maltz, a member of the Klingon Bird of Prey's bridge crew:

    Kirk: You! Help us or die!
    Maltz: I do not deserve to live!
    Kirk: Fine, I'll kill you later!

    [Later, once safely in warp]
    Kirk: Take care of the prisoner.
    Maltz: Wait! You said you would kill me!
    Kirk: I lied!

Space Marine VR: War Calls You.

Brothers! War calls you. Will you answer?

Codex: Adeptus Astartes 

Take position for firing rites, and receive the holy sacrament of ammunition.  Keep your aim true, and your bolt rifle charged with death.

Ultramarines Chaplain, Defenders of Avarax

Without ever considering myself a virtual reality fan, I've had a surprising number of VR experiences - VR light at Gundam Front in Japan; touring the International Space Station, first in New York and more recently in Vancouver; as well as owning a entry-level Oculus Quest 2 VR headset.  I don't know where that places me comparatively in the VR marketplace, but it certainly indicates the degree to which virtual reality has been quietly establishing itself as an entertainment option.

My latest and perhaps most enjoyable VR encounter took place this week, when I joined four other team members in playing Defenders of Avarax, a 30-minute Warhammer 40K Space Marine VR gaming experience hosted by Zero Latency, an international free-roam virtual reality gaming franchise with over 100 locations in 26 countries around the world. 

Defenders of Avarax debuted in September of 2024 in conjunction with the release of Space Marine II by game developer Saber Interactive. The original Space Marine game was a fun third-person shooter with spectacular art direction, so I mentally took note of the new version and its VR companion for future reference.

A couple of months went by without really giving it any consideration, but some conversations over the holidays about gaming reminded me of the Space Marine VR option, and I decided to do a bit of research and perhaps give it a try.

The first challenge was to find three other people with an interest in a Warhammer 40K VR adventure to make up the minimum four-person team requirement. For example, my wife was honest enough to confess that she would be too intimidated to function in an immersive gaming experience that involved being attacked by gross aliens, guns or no guns.*

Fortunately, I knew that my co-worker David is a bit of a gamer, and he was eager to give the VR experience a shot as well (no pun intended). He was able to find two other players (one from his Tuesday Dungeons & Dragons group, which provided some extra gaming cred), and Karli's friend John, who came to Disneyland with us last year, was also interested. We picked a mutually agreeable time, made a private reservation for five at a cost of $61.60 each, and we were good to go.

The appointed evening came this week, and we assembled at the Zero Latency location at Main and Broadway.

Zero Latency gets full points for how well they managed the experience.  They suggest that you all arrive 15 minutes in advance so that your group can start its one-hour booking on time; they provide free lockers for storing personal possessions; there's a detailed orientation on how the experience will proceed; and they provide a staff member to act as a game master for the 30 minutes of the actual VR portion.  The game master sets you up with your gear, gives pointers on how to navigate things like ramps that aren't actually sloped, and monitors your group throughout the game in case of VR problems or other issues. Post game, Zero Latency provides player scores and side-by-side in-game and game-space videos of the experience, along with a link to their Twitch channel.

Each player is equipped with a custom high end HTC VIVE Focus 3 headset and a generic light gun that stands in for a variety of weapons throughout the game. Headset comfort can be an issue in VR, but I found the Focus 3 to be completely comfortable, to the point where I largely forgot that I was wearing it. The pre-appointment guide suggested that users with glasses wear contacts if possible, but I had absolutely no problems with fogging or focus throughout the game.    

According to the Zero Latency web site, the actual gaming space is about 1500 square feet - I'd estimate that the room was about 25 x 60 feet. However, full points to the game's developers, who use a multitude of tricks to create the illusion of a detailed and extensive environment. Over the 30 minutes of our mission to the hive city of Fervastium, we travelled by train, rode multiple elevators, climbed ramps, and at one point floated in the void as reality literally broke into pieces around us, without experiencing any discomfort or disorientation.  

Even more impressively, at one point the game splits your group into two teams that perform tasks at separate locations at different levels - the illusion was so convincing that it never occurred to me that the other team must still be in the same room with me, regardless of the fact that they seemed to be hundreds of feet away.

The MacGuffin of the experience is a powerful dormant artifact hidden in the depths of the hive city, a relic that could change the tide of the struggle against the invaders.  You and your squad are tasked with securing the relic, and successfully reaching the rooftop extraction point for pickup by an Ultramarine Thunderhawk gunship. Your opponent: the insectoid Tyranid hordes, an army of specialized bio-sculpted organisms controlled by a distant hive mind.

The Tyranid aliens attack in hordes, very much in the Starcraft "Zerg Rush" approach to combat, which creates a target rich environment - perhaps too target rich, I would have enjoyed the opportunity to get a better look at my opponents.  In order to help even the odds, the game is equipped with weapon upgrade points, where you can temporarily trade your standard bolter/grenade launcher for a melta gun, storm bolter or flamethrower to give your firepower a boost.

(NOTE: This video is cropped from a five-person POV collage - the actual in-game quality is much better)

Overall, the game is notably well executed. The environments are detailed and varied, the Tyranid attackers come in a variety of shapes and sizes, all of which blow up impressively under a hail of grenades and bolter fire, and my fellow Space Marines were well rendered and animated.

I only have two trivial criticisms of the experience.  First, automatic fire would be an enormous boon - after a while my hand got tired from repeated triggering. Second, I was disappointed that I had no visible body. All that I could see of myself was my weapon, when what I really wanted was more feedback on where my feet where, especially when it came to climbing the non-existent ramps.**

But those are just minor points - the consensus of opinion was that all five of us really enjoyed the experience, and would happily do it again. David is already recruiting more players from our department at work, using the game recordings as promo material.

And finally, full credit to my Ultramarine brothers in arms, as below:  Connor, Aidan, David, (myself) and John - we fight for the Emperor, and we will know no fear! 

- Sid

* When we did the Doctor Who: Time Fracture event in London, Karli did not enjoy being chased by Cybermen AT ALL.

** Pro tip: shuffle your feet to avoid losing contact with the floor when attempting to climb a slope that's actually flat.

A BRIEF SIDEBAR: SPACE MARINES

In the Warhammer 40K gaming universe, the Adeptus Astartes, more commonly known as the Space Marines, are the elite of the elite, heavily armed and genetically enhanced warriors in massive suits of powered armour.  Acting as the spearhead for the armies of the Emperor, they face foes such as the  expansionist alien T'au, the monstrous Orks, the twisted entities of Chaos, the enigmatic Eldar, the swarming Tyranid hives, the undead robotic Necron, and the Traitor Legions - former Space Marines possessed by Chaos.  The Space Marines are divided into monastic Chapters such as the Ultramarines, the Blood Angels, the Space Wolves, and the Iron Fists, each with their own heraldry and traditions.

"A Snowball's Chance."

And Mr. Trump, this is Canada, we KNOW about snowballs.

- Sid

Canada First.

This was Canada. Canada was in this room, and the eyes of all Canadians were upon Parliament and upon him.

Richard H. Rohmer, Ultimatum

I recently suggested to my wife that there's an alternate reality where Donald Trump is a reasonably successful standup comedian.  Think about it: if Donald Trump had never been president, some of his speeches would be acceptably funny routines about fictional American policy.  "Hey, what about Greenland?  No one is using it, the US doesn't have nearly enough glaciers. why don't we just buy it off Denmark?  Think of the air miles we'd get!" Similarly, his recent comments about Canada becoming the 51st state under Governor Trudeau could easily be part of his Netflix™ special, Donny Trump's Guide on How to Make America Great Again.*

Sadly, we live in a reality where Trump's statements require a bit more attention. Even Donald Trump's allies admit that the President-Elect often speaks off the cuff rather than as part of a considered approach to setting policy, but just in case, let's take a look at how attempting to add Canada to the Continental US might play out. 

Mr. Trump, if you're reading this, I realize that you're not a great fan of long form documents - all evidence suggests that you prefer to receive data in the simplest and most accessible form possible - but I really do think that you should give the twin novels Ultimatum (1973) and Exxoneration (1974) a quick look before taking any action. They're not long books, but even the Coles Notes versions** will do the trick if you can't find the time to sit by the Mar-A-Lago pool with a Diet Coke or two and read the full texts.

Written by Canadian author and retired CAF Major-General Richard H. Rohmer, the two near-future speculative novels deal with an attempt by the United States to annex Canada by force majeur in order to take control of its natural resources.   

Ultimatum begins with the titular event: the aggressive shock-haired President of the United States delivers an ultimatum to Canada's charismatic, youthful Prime Minister - give the US immediate unlimited access to Canada's Arctic Islands natural gas or else. The Canadian government must reply to the ultimatum within 33 hours. The President backs up his demands by instituting economic sanctions in advance of his deadline, shutting down all movement of US investment funds into Canada only three and a half hours later.

It's an unexpectedly unbiased plotline. Yes, the Presidential demands are over the top, but he's been provoked by ongoing Canadian political inaction on resource development, combined with Ottawa's lack of progress in terms of coming to terms with indigenous obligations, which has led to project delays due to pipeline bombings by radical First Nations groups.

At the end of the first book, Canada rejects the ultimatum, which leads to the President announcing that the Canadian government is dissolved, and that Canada has been annexed and is now part of the United States. To ensure that this transfer of power goes smoothly,  US troops will be landed at all major Canadian cities and Armed Forces bases.  

Exxoneration begins immediately after the events of Ultimatum with the commencement of Operation Reception Party by the Canadian Armed Forces as US military transport aircraft begin to touch down in Canada.  America, wishing to avoid international condemnation for an armed assault on Canada, attempts to simply land troops at major Canadian cities and take over control of the country, with the expectation that Canada will simply accept its new role.

However, concealed missile launchers and artillery batteries at the airports allow the CAF to successfully hold the American troops hostage on the runways as leverage to stop the invasion. As the US President rages at his military advisors for their epic misjudgement of the situation (and subsequent American embarrassment on the global stage), he is surprised by a call from Russia, in which the Chairman of the Supreme Soviet indicates that Russia will not permit an American takeover of the North American continent. To enforce this position, he informs the President that Soviet missile submarines are in place near US coastal cities as a deterrent to further military action against Canada.  Faced with these two events, the President reluctantly stands down and agrees to negotiate with Canada regarding the natural gas situation.

The remainder of Exxoneration follows the Canadian government's $20B attempt to take over American petroleum product giant Exxon, punctuated by a court battle, adversarial legislation by the US government, and concluding with a successful Saudi Arabian takeover of the Canadian attempt using an oil embargo as leverage against the US.

To be honest, these books aren't for everyone, although in my re-reading of the pair many years after my first encounter, I was surprised by the degree to which they have a sort of Tom Clancy feel, albeit with a Canadian framework. However, even 50 years later, they're a useful metaphor for the challenges of managing relationships between the USA and Canada, pointing out the degree to which the two countries are economically connected on a reciprocal basis, not simply in a one-way connection from the south to the north.  And, Mr. Trump, they also make an important statement about our country: when it comes down to the crunch, we're all Canadians first - every else comes second.

Oh, and the American president who launches the military takeover loses his re-election bid - not that you have to worry about that part, it seems unlikely that you'll be able to scrap the Twenty-Second Amendment and get yourself a third term.

- Sid

* When you think about it, Stephen Colbert successfully did a similar shtick on The Colbert Report, and with his books, such as I Am America (And So Can You!).

** Sorry, I believe that it would be Cliffs Notes in America.