Happy Mother's Day!

It's good to see that not every comic book backstory has to involve some kind of parental trauma.

- Sid

May the 4th: A Star Wars Trilogy, Episode 3.

The Empire Strikes Back.

“In every corner of the galaxy, the downtrodden and oppressed know our symbol and they put their hope in it.” 

Vice-Admiral Amilyn Holdo, The Last Jedi

My wonderful wife was kind enough to buy me a Star Wars t-shirt on the weekend - just the simple classic logo on grey, which perfectly matches my design aesthetic. Sadly, on the 4th itself, I was unable to wear the t-shirt because, not only did I have to work from our company offices, I also had to attend a high level subcommittee meeting, for which I felt it necessary to wear a shirt with a collar rather than a t-shirt.  Talk about downtrodden and oppressed...it's a shame that I don't feel more like I could be the spark that lights the fire.

- Sid

 

May the 4th: A Star Wars Trilogy, Episode 2.

The Phantom Menace.

We were recently heading out to Steveston with Karli's sister Stefanie on a covert fish and chips run, and the topic of COVID-19 vaccinations came up.  During the conversation, Stefanie mentioned her concerns about getting sick from being vaccinated.

It's an understandable concern, but misplaced in this case.  In the case of traditional vaccines, they do work by injecting a small piece of the target virus, called an antigen, into your body.  Your immune system recognizes that it's been infected, albeit in a minor fashion, and produces virus-specific antibodies that give you resistance in case you're exposed to the full version of the virus.  

RNA based vaccines, like the Pfizer product that I've recently received, provide the body with instructions on how to build the antigens, so that the immune system can prepare T-cell and antibody responses all on its own that provide resistance without being infected.

Extremely simplifying something that I'd seen on the XKCD webcomic,  I offered the following by way of explanation:

 "No, it's more like the injection gives your body the plans to the Death Star."

A short silence ensued.

Karli, sensing the problem, said, "It's from Star Wars - you know, the big globe thing."

"Well, maybe if it was more of a pop culture reference."

Another short silence ensued.

I cautiously said, "Ummm...Star Wars isn't pop culture?"

"Well, okay, maybe if it was more of a family drama."

"It's literally nine movies about one family," said Karli. 

More silence - and by the time we'd arrived at Steveston, by unspoken mutual agreement we'd moved on to less sensitive topics. 

Regardless of the relatability of the simile, it pleases my science fiction fan heart to imagine tiny little X-wings preparing to do battle with the evil coronavirus - perhaps even a little Luke Skywalker, and the tiny voice of a miniature Obi-Wan Force ghost directing him to turn off his targeting computer and trust his feelings.  And when the pandemic's finally all over, I think that we will all definitely deserve a medal from a princess.

- Sid

 

May the 4th: A Star Wars Trilogy, Episode I.

Attack of the Clones.

I purchased my treasured copy of Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds in 2004 as a part of a Movie Collection games package, along with James Bond 007: Nightfire and Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb. I have no memory of ever installing the Indiana Jones game, and probably played Nightfire a couple of times at most, but Galactic Battlegrounds has been in heavy rotation ever since.

Galactic Battlegrounds is a real time strategy game based on the Age of Empires* game engine, with the obvious substitution of the Rebellion, the Galactic Empire, Trade Federation, Naboo, Wookiees and so on for different historical civilizations. There's a newer version that added more features, but I've always preferred the classic version, to the point where I zealously maintain an older PC running Windows 7 without upgrades pretty much just so that I can play it. It's one of those games that just perfectly suits my playing style and interests, regardless of its age.

I admit to never having completed all of the Galactic Battlegrounds storylines, which are derived from Episodes I, II, IV, V and VI of the movie franchise - I've always just played the single player Standard Game, where you can face off against seven computer opponents. I almost always play as the Rebellion, and I always play against the full range of political groups and alien races - why would I want to play against seven tribes of Gungans? I've played as the other options now and then, but the Rebellion just seems to suit me best (and besides, they're the good guys.)

One of the things that I've noticed again and again is that, win or lose, my casualty rates are almost comically low compared to my digital opponents, as you can see in the above image.** I'm fanatically careful about not losing troops - I assume it affects my score somehow, but it's really just a complete inability to treat my little 16-bit soldiers as cannon fodder. 

I know it's odd, but in my mind, every one of them is this poor doomed Rebellion trooper*** from the boarding scene in A New Hope: how could I let him die again?

- Sid 

 

* Oddly enough, I have never had much success with Age of Empires - funny how the addition of aliens and lightsabers would make me a better player.

** My apologies for quality, it's an actual photo rather than a screen grab.  For whatever reason, Windows 7 can handle the game's 16-bit graphics, but it won't successfully do screen grabs.

*** Whose name, as it turns out, is Pello Scrambas, who knew?  I suppose it's prudent to name as many characters as possible, you never know when you're going to want to put an action figure into production for someone.

And sometimes the bear gets you.

Irish comedian Dara O Briain has commented on the fact that computer games, unique among all other art forms, reward or punish you by restricting your access to the entire game depending on your performance.  As he points out, a book does not demand that you demonstrate an understanding of the major themes of the story in order to be allowed to finish the novel, nor do albums require that you show how good your dancing is before it plays the rest of the songs.

I've run up against this unique problem a couple of times in my gaming career, and unless there's a handy cheat code available, you're kind of stuck.  As much as I enjoy The Long Dark as a game, it was a nuisance that after the mystical bear captured me and dragged me to its cave, I just couldn't for the life of me (no pun intended) figure out how find the magical spear,  use it to kill the bear and finish the level, to the point where I just gave up and played in straight Survival mode.  

However, after recently receiving a poll from game developers Hinterland regarding the conclusion of the game's narrative, I decided to give it another shot. I revisited the bear cave with fresh eyes, found the spear, managed to kill the bear, and completed that chapter and the next one in short order. (To be honest, it makes it a lot easier if you've explored the environment a lot.)  

Following the disturbing final image of the third episode, I'm on hold for the next update, and I'm also eagerly looking forward to whatever Hinterland does next in terms of gaming development.

- Sid

"Meet your new instructor."

I'm pleased and gratified to see that award-winning science fiction author N. K. Jemisin has been tapped to present a Masterclass course in writing science fiction.  Everything I know about Jemisin suggests that she is an excellent choice as an instructor, with a writing technique that combines superb creativity with rigorous research and consistency.

Sadly, though, I don't think I'll sign up.  It would be interesting, but ultimately I feel that the ship has sailed for me in terms of a possible writing career.  On the other hand, I did take that Chris Hadfield course in being an astronaut, so obviously practicality isn't the only consideration for things like this.

- Sid

Commander Hadfield has spoken - wear a mask!

Well, more accurately, his eyebrow has, but I think his position is clear.

- Sid

Virtual Dreams IV: IRL VR.

 

If you own an Oculus Quest 2 VR Headset, buy the Elite Head Strap upgrade.  Now.  

Right now. 

Are you still reading this? NOW.

No, seriously, the Oculus Elite head strap upgrade was worth every cent of the sixty-seven dollars that it costs on Amazon™.  It was a bit disconcerting to install - it's easy to imagine breaking a little plastic clip by accident and rendering the whole thing useless - but once in place, it's a huge improvement over the stock strap in terms of comfort and, more importantly, stability.  The elastic strap that shipped with the headset never really did a great job, but the ratcheted hard plastic Elite strap provides a much better fit and a better seal around the eyepiece to prevent light leaks, without being uncomfortable.  

For committed players, there's also a version with a secondary battery to extend usage time, but if you're that committed, you should probably look at catheter pricing as well, just in case.

- Sid

 

Surviving Mars.

It's been a Mars-intensive period of time, what with rover landings and scientific conferences and so on, so when I noticed that Epic Games was offering a free download of a game called Surviving Mars, I decided it was a timely opportunity to give it a try.

Surviving Mars is a colony building game in the same vein as the venerable SimCity franchise.  As with SimCity, the purpose of the exercise is to build a self-sustaining community that meets the needs of its inhabitants.  The difference is that in Surviving Mars, making a mistake doesn't reduce your tax income or get you voted out as mayor - if you miss something, everyone dies. 

I've played a lot of strategy games - Starcraft, Warhammer 40K, Star Wars: Galactic Battleground, and so on - where resource collection and management was part of the game, but primarily as a function that supported the ability to enlarge my base and create military units, rather than as an end to itself.  I seem to recall trying SimCity at some point in its evolution, and finding it a bit too intensive in terms of micromanagement, but the idea of creating a Martian colony is intriguing.

And free, it's hard to argue with free.

So I installed the game, made a cup of tea, and settled down to colonize Mars.

After finishing the comprehensive tutorials, I'm ready to launch my first expedition.  The default settings are friendly to newbies, with an Easy setting for the mission, and bonuses such as an extra rocket.  I leave the cargo defaults in place, choose a landing site, and launch the rocket.

The tutorials were useful, but ultimately I just use logic when the ship makes its landing and the drones go to work.  My colony needs power, oxygen, food and water, all of which require factories, extractors, generators, solar cells, pipes, power lines and storage locations.  When they arrive, colonists will require homes, hospitals, playgrounds, and all the other elements that make up a complete community support structure.  They won't be self-sufficient immediately, but with two rockets and the ability to fuel them for return trips to Earth, the nascent colony should be able to import the missing requirements to keep things going until it becomes self-sustaining. 

As an example, I discover at some point that I need polymers from Earth to fix a disabled power generator, and use that as a guide to equip my second rocket with a suitable cargo of manufactured materials and prefabricated factories that will let me make repairs and hopefully fill similar gaps in the supply chain. I launch the rocket, lean back in my chair, and suddenly realize that I've been playing for over an hour and my forgotten and now cold tea is still sitting on the kitchen counter - a strong indicator of how absorbed I am in the game.

There are parts of the process that I don't have a firm grip on - the Research ladder system remains a bit of a mystery, and I'm not sure how to expand from my plateau location to the resource-rich plains, but I feel that I at least have the basics under control. 

By this point, I've constructed a modest but well-equipped little base which is almost ready for the final test: actual colonists. I want to add another dome, and increase the oxygen supply and storage options, but overall I've put together what seems to be a reasonable place for my colonists to make their start on Mars. In fact, some of the buildings aren't functional without people, which helps to keep the focus on the purpose of the mission.

The first ship is almost refueled, and when it is, I'll send it back to Earth to pick up my first load of would-be Martians.  We'll start with the maximum 12 passengers, and if they make it through the first ten days on Mars, I'll be able to send the ship back to Earth and double my population.

Wish us luck!

- Sid

UPDATE:  The first specialist-heavy group of colonists successfully survived the ten day trial period, which clears me to bring in more people!  More domes to come! And a playground for the park, that sounds like an investment in the future, given that there's no indication that any of the colonists have children - yet.

And who doesn't like bigger fins?

I was reading an article earlier today about Elon Musk's plan for a "whole new architecture" of space craft, and I saw a photo of his prototype for the Space-X Starship reusable launch vehicle intended for eventual Mars missions, seen here beside an existing Falcon-1 booster.

I was instantly reminded of the eponymous spaceship from the early 1960s classic Rocketship XL5 Supermarionation series.   All you need are bigger fins, Elon, a touch of colour, and you're there!

- Sid

Red Mars.

I opened my eyes upon a strange and weird landscape. I knew that I was on Mars; not once did I question either my sanity or my wakefulness. I was not asleep, no need for pinching here; my inner consciousness told me as plainly that I was upon Mars as your conscious mind tells you that you are upon Earth. You do not question the fact; neither did I.

Edgar Rice Burroughs, A Princess of Mars

When I first purchased my VR headset, I viewed it as primarily an advanced gaming system.  Now that I'm using it on a regular basis, it's obvious that it's really more of an alternative computing platform that's capable of delivering a wide range of services and experiences*.  

As an example, there's an extensive selection of virtual reality experiences in the Oculus download library: an immersive tour of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone; a 3D view of Shibuya Crossing, Tokyo's busiest intersection; visits to the world's great cities; and trips to the Arctic, the Pyramids, the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, and a myriad of other opportunities.  Most recently, they've added a VR view of Mars from the perspective of the Perseverance rover - and it's breathtaking.

Assembled by CreatorUp video services founder Hugh Hou from 142 HD pictures taken by the probe's Z-Mast camera, the virtual view of the Martian surface is incredible in its realism. 

Screen grabs really don't do justice to the experience, it was startling to have that strong an impression of standing on the surface of another planet  - or, more accurately, on Perseverance's chassis, probably someplace quite close to the chip with Karli and my names on it. I thought I was joking, but it turns out that we actually do have seats with a good view.

- Sid

 

* But, to be honest, not necessarily better than a standard desktop setup.  For example, it's a lot easier to find your cup of tea for a drink when you're not wearing a headmount to browse the Internet.

"Out there... thataway."

A few years ago, I signed up for a membership with the Heritage Auctions web site - not because I wanted to start bidding on things, but because their site was an excellent source of high resolution scans of comic book covers and artwork, book and pulp magazine covers, and movie posters and memorabilia.  

However, over time I've started casually following their auctions - they do dedicated comic book and movie sessions every week, and I've always thought that it would be nice to own original comic book art.  Admittedly, anything I've ever been interested in has been far out of my price range - yes, this is the auction house that auctioned off a Frank Frazetta cover painting for 5.4 million dollars in 2019   and the first comic book appearance of the Batman for 1.3 million at the start of this year - but it's a harmless dream to enjoy while I browse.

However, there are more modestly priced lots available, and every now and then I place a bid, just for fun.  Recently, this resulted in the successful purchase of a set of eight lobby cards from Star Trek: The Motion Picture, which debuted in December of 1979.  

It's generally agreed that the first attempt at transferring the original crew to the big screen was not a great success, but it's still a significant moment in Star Trek history, and I like the idea of lobby cards - they don't seem to attract the same amount of bidding as the posters, and and at 11x14 inches they're a convenient size to frame, whereas a 28x40 inch movie poster almost requires you to design the room around it.  (Although, gosh, if I had the wall space and the money...).

To my surprise, I won the items with what I considered to be a relatively low bid of $38 USD.* This bid marked my first successful purchase in this area - I had tentatively placed a bid on lobby cards from the 1956 science fiction classic Forbidden Planet at some point last year, but it quickly got too rich for my blood (I strongly feel that the secret to managing auction participation is to not fall prey to bidding fever).

My purchases arrived today, and now that I'm able to examine them in person, I'm definitely pleased.  Oh, there's a slightly compressed corner here and there, and a hint of yellowing on one or two of the cards, but overall they're in excellent shape for printed items that are over 42 years old.

Now that I think about it, I'm not sure I've watched this movie since I saw it in commercial release in '79.  Hmmm...it must be streaming somewhere, right?

- Sid

 

* Okay, this is a lie, as you can see if you compare that with the screen grab at the beginning of this post  $38 is just the auction price.  On top of that I paid a $19 Buyer's Premium, and about as much as those two combined for shipping.  Price of doing business, I suppose - and the original bid was still lower than I expected.

 

International Women's Day: The Right Stuff.

In recognition of International Women's Day, here's NASA astronaut Peggy A. Whitson:  Phd. in Biochemistry, two-time ISS commander, US record holder of the most time in space with a total of 665 days in space*, 10 space walks successfully completed, with a list of achievements, awards, medals and honours as long as my arm.   

Oddly, her NASA bio doesn't give her full name, but I assume that the A stands for Achievement.

- Sid

 

* Surprisingly, this only puts her in 8th place overall - numbers 1 through 7 are all Russian cosmonauts, with Gennady Padalka in first place with a total of 879 days in space.

Actually, waiting 28 weeks seems about right.

Hmmm....I don't know, the bidding price is at a reasonable level right now but it just feels like the wrong time for this.

- Sid

 

"Steadfast pursuit of an aim."

Success.

After almost seven months in space, Perseverance made a successful landing on Mars today. no doubt to the relief and happiness of everyone who attended Planetfest '21 last weekend.  (With the possible exception of Joe O'Rourke.)

The current light speed time lag of just over 12 minutes to Mars* meant that Mission Control on Earth was just a spectator during the often-cited “seven minutes of terror” -  the Entry, Descent and Landing (EDL) phase of the mission, which starts 125 kms above the Martian surface.

Perseverance utilized the same landing technology used for the successful 2012 Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) landing, which was the first guided landing on Mars.  When Perseverance entered the Martian atmosphere, it relied on its heat shield for the first part of the Descent stage, after which it deployed a 21-meter parachute to further reduce its speed, and separated from the heat shield. As the parachute slowed down the lander, it used the Terrain Relative Navigation System pioneered by the MSL mission to search for its landing location by comparing the surface below it to visuals of the Martian surface.

The lander detached from the parachute and the protective backshell when it was about two kilometers from the surface, and began its powered descent.  At about 20 meters, the Skycrane section of the module separated from the rover itself, and slowly lowered Perseverance to a successful soft landing in Jezero Crater with all systems functional.

And now the work begins...

- Sid

 

*As introduced to the general public during the conversations between Mark Watney and Mission Control in The Martian.  The delay varies from 5 to 20 minutes, depending on the relative orbital positions of Earth and Mars.