Nougat Harvesting Aliens

Battleship has bombed at the box office, but this certainly won't be the last Alien invasion, Hollywood special effects extravaganza we are faced with. It's topic that will surely rise again and again. Alien contact and invasion is not only a major Sci-Fi staple, but is also pretty significant in conspiracy theory circles too. So I wanted to get into my ideas why Aliens would come in the first place, and how we could never be able to fight them off.

Any extraterrestrial contact requires a motive. Sadly, most of the motives given in Sci-Fi films are nonsense.

Terran resources - There are no minerals or elements on Earth that could not be found easier or cheaper and in greater quantities elsewhere in the universe. Recently there was even a finding that reported that there was more total water on the Jovian moon Europa than on the surface of Earth. To look back in time, the Ancient Alien proponents' idea that the Annunaki came to Ancient Earth to mine gold is preposterous. There is more gold in Near Earth Asteroids, and likely much easier for an advanced alien race to mine, rather than landing on Earth and dealing with the bronze age indigenous population. And if you had to go to a planet, Mercury might have a higher amount of gold and heavy elements. So water or mineral prospecting is no reason to visit Earth.

Curiosity - It killed the cat, and it can always be a plausible reason for anyone to explore the unknown. But curiosity doesn't have to lend itself only to an aggressive inquiry. For all the non Alien Invasion or First contact stories, curiosity can be reason for any advanced species to visit. There are some who argue that any advanced species would be so beyond us, they wouldn't want to even bother stoping to look at us. We would be as insignificant to them as insects are to us. What you never hear is the reaction from Entomologists who have just had their profession trounced by so called experts. Talk to someone who studies the insect world and revel at the amount of time humans have studies beehives, ant colonies and spider families. If aliens are as obsessed about learning as we are, any advanced alien species could Not avoid a visit to our planet. Any alien intelligence would at least want to note our development and our social customs. If there is information, there is someone who wants to record it. We might seem insignificant to them, but they might still be fascinated by us. Especially if you consider how rare life in the universe might be. Humans would go to great lengths just to find pond scum anywhere in the galaxy, to claim E.T's wouldn't stop to log biological existence is a little short sighted. Still, this isn't enough of a reason to violently invade a planet.

Habitable Biosphere - The Earth is a shining blue lifeboat in space. If an alien species were to invade, simply having a rare and sustainable environment would be a very legitimate motive. Who knows what condition an alien home world would be in once that species has mastered interstellar travel. Over population, pollution and an environmental disaster might drive a species to become desperate to find a new home. Of course, all of this is assuming an alien species would need the exact same atmosphere and climate that we have on Earth. But even if we were close enough, perhaps Earth could be terraformed to conform to the Alien invaders, but who knows if we could adapt to that new environment. If we could live side by side breathing the same air, perhaps it would be more a matter of interspecies cohabitation. But, if our air is poison to a desperate alien, and vice versa, then we might be be up for the fight of our life.

And here is the real point to this post. What could we possibly do to repel an invasion by an highly advanced Alien invader? Really, there is no way humanity at this stage of technical development could repel an force of advanced, interstellar traveling, extra terrestrials; at least, not alone.

Not only is this a reaction to Alien Invasion films, but also a reaction to the reaction to films like Avatar. While the huge grossing James Cameron film may not be the most original work of cinema ever, it is a rather, plot hole free, story. Sure, Unobtainium messes a little with my previous motive argument, but that plot point aside. There are groups who are upset by Avatar, and also films like Dances with wolves and Pocahontas over racist ideas. I can understand how taking an indigenous people of color and having some Caucasian character come off as their White Savior could be insulting. The problem with this is those who are insulted are missing the point. This is not a color issue or even about culture, it is a matter of technological advancement only. If a more advanced culture tries to conquer a less advanced culture, They Will Win. Yes, there is a bloody insurgency that is possible, and there are guerrilla tactics to be a thorn in the side of your occupiers. All of these are only possible if the apposing force is only slightly more advanced. A species capable of interstellar travel, compared to us, is 10 times more advanced than the Spanish who trounced the Incas in the 1600's.

If the invading aliens have one of their own, who don't agree with what is going on, then switch sides, then it is that rebellion that can save the technologically inferior indigenous people. The Alien invader could also have an alien adversary with a more ethical motive. In Return of the Jedi, the Ewoks needed the help and tactics of the Rebellion. Do you really think a bunch of fluff balls could stop the Empire alone? Could humans have stood a chance agains the Zentrati without spending a decade studying the technological advanced SDF-1spacecraft? The only way a less advanced group can even hope to stand a chance against a technologically superior enemy, their either has to be a third alien group helping the less advanced; or the less advanced people have to receive some sort of technological Jump Start. So in Avatar, a more noble and enlightened culture isn't enough to stop high tech weapons. The Na'vi needed someone who helped them circumvent the high tech invaders. Could the Humans have ever survived from the Cylons if there weren't Human Sympathizers?

People will get upset between comparisons between Native American peoples and any less technologically advanced tribal culture in fiction, but remember the focus is not on the culture here. This article is simply about Technology. One of the reasons the Indigenous Americans had as many victories as they did was, they adopted the same firearms used by the Europeans. The Native Americans didn't even have Iron Age technology before the European settlers arrived. Racism and Cultural insensitivity can't be the issue when the only topic of discussion is a groups level of technology. Those other factors do matter in other ways, but not when cold technological development is the topic. Certainly, the tribal culture of the Na'vi was heavily influence by Native American history, but while perhaps naive, was still a reverential influence; not a satire or mockery.

So, to put this Humans fighting off Alien invader on its head, a new plot needs to unfold. The Alien Invasion special effects extravaganza must have a third party. While I have my own screenplay I should be working on, the idea is in the Aether now, I might as well put out the idea for others to pick up too.

Earth is approached by an armada of Alien ships. The first scouting missions of the Alien force quickly crush any retaliation. Only a few small battles are lost, and the aliens are clearly only analyzing Earths strengths and weaknesses before a full on invasion. Suddenly a few new ships are seen, with different designs and markings. These ships do not attack, but observe. Through out the corse of the story First Contact takes place between humans and this second alien species. Humans join with this third party to defend Earth from conquest. In the end a new alliance is formed, and the human race is once again safe. The key to it all, Humans would need an ally to fight off a technologically superior alien force. It would not be insulting to humans, to need help, it would just be the reality of technology in warfare.

If I were a more avid reader, I could list the dozens of novels, probably going back to the 1950's that cover this exact idea. Sadly, I don't know a story right off hand that has this plot, but I am sure they exist.

Thus begins the first of many Summer blockbusters, and one of the most special effects-tastic and profitable movie franchises.

The Rocket Jockeys engineered Nougat

Friday I saw Prometheus, in its full IMAX 3D grandeur. It was an amazing spectacle. This will probably be the only movie I see all summer in 3D, and it was well worth the extra ticket charge. Prometheus was a beautiful film. It was exiting, engaging, and I never felt bored. I totally enjoyed the ride.

I would say Prometheus was a good, but not great film. It was well crafted, beautiful, well paced, and thoroughly entertaining. But the moment one walks out the theater, all you have are questions. And the more and more I think about the film, the more and more upset I am with it.

The group I saw the movie with all stood around for a bit afterwards. We discussed the parts we thought were awesome, but we drifted more and more to the plot holes, unanswered questions, and logic problems in the film. There were more questions left than answers, and while this can lend a mysterious quality in a film, here it was just frustrating.

Before I begin my nerd rant, let me preface with my belief that Ridley Scott is a masterful director with and incredible visual style. 

MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD.

First I am going to let my Nerdy logic side out, cause he has been dying to tear into this film.

Screaming at me was a overwhelming sense of unprofessionalism by the crew of the Prometheus. Most of the crew only get briefed on the mission, after waking up from two years in cryo-sleep, as they approach the planet. Perhaps this is part of some in-universe back story were Weyland Corp just has an assortment of frozen Geologist, Biologists, Pilots and Doctors in some warehouse being ready to ship out on a moments notice. Really? This was Peter Weyland's personal, trillion dollar mission to explore space. Would they not hire people who knew what they were getting into? Maybe find the best and most qualified people for the job? Every Academic seemed completely incompetent. The male anthropologist / archeologist is a not only kind of a douche, he is impulsive and kind of worthless. The Geologist, has some cool scanning gadgets, but really doesn't do much else other than be the asshole punk character. The Biologist, aside from one "don't touch that" line, never has the slightest clue about protocol with a new biological creature. His demise pretty much comes from trying to snuggle with an Alien Cobra. Way to go jack ass. These characters are clearly only on the ship to die.

I'm no scientist, but wouldn't the ship orbit the moon (LV-223) and map the entire surface to find the point of interest? The Prometheus lands and just luckily finds an interesting point by chance. Rather than survey the entire area and map the several buildings and Nazca like lines, they impulsively go right in the first domed structure forgetting all the other locations. Yeah, this is a movie, we have to get to the good stuff, but I at least wanted to feel like the crew carefully followed all the necessary protocols. Vickers, is the Company woman played by Charlize Theron. I'm happy she isn't as slimy as Burke in Aliens, but again she only has the Company's interest in mind. She tries to make sure the crew follows orders, but then again we go back to fact that the crew is comprised of incompetent jack asses. She is instantly unlikeable, Concerned only about the companies bottom line. She comes off so harsh that no one wants to follow her orders, defeating the purpose of her character. The Pilots and captain are one exception. They fly the ship just fine, a rare bit of competence in the crew. Idris Elba played the captain, and his cool character was under used. Noomi Rapace plays Shaw, the spirited archeologist who convinces Peter Weyland to fund this mission. While she is a likable character, she doesn't seem like the most empirical of scientists. Jumping to wild conclusions and more compelled by faith.

These are my very, anal, logic rants. Most people would not be bothered by such technicalities. I'm not a scientist, but it bugs me when, even from my perspective, the science, logic and protocols are completely missing.

The film is about ideas, philosophy and religion, sadly not really about science and exploration. The film also hammers you with old clichés: Robots can't be trusted, The Corporation has some other agenda, and any extra terrestrial life is only bent on destroying us... even if they originally created us.

At least this point gets a line to question it. When it is understood that these aliens engineered, or at least seeded, life on earth; why are they now bent on destroying it? Shaw wants to know why and David, the android played by Michael Fassbender, questions why she needs to know. Shaw just needs to understand, as does the audience. There is a delicate art to leaving tantalizing questions open, versus leaving plot and logic holes to cover for lazy writers.

For a film that was, then wasn't supposed to be an Alien prequel, it still felt way too much like an alien prequel. While the movie sets up an amazing premise of exploration, crew stupidity is written in the story to make a string of gruesome deaths. I thought this wasn't supposed to be a horror movie? Somehow it still has to end with everyone but the strong female lead dead. Instead of a room of face hugger eggs, we get a room these metal cylinders set up in similar manner. And again, this is also the plot device which dooms the crew. There are mysteries that are never solved, like just what exactly happened to the aliens in this structure? We see these tantalizing holographic recordings of the last moments of the crew, never to find out what happened. Exploring this mystery could have been fascinating. Who or what were they running from? Few things are revealed about the mysterious Aliens. These Engineers apparently create and destroy life on other planets, and for no apparent reason. The big cool reveal is that the Rocket Jockey from Alien is a Suit that is integrated into the Captains Chair.  Just like Ash in Alien, the David can't be trusted. Again, the milk bleeding Android will purposefully put people in danger to serve a secret directive. Worst of all, they even have a proto-xenomorph chest burst at the end of the film, lest we forget that this isn't supposed to be an Alien prequel.

A few lingering questions:

-Why did the aliens have a vast depot of biological weapons that seem to do randomly different things depending on the script? Do they have an Alien Enemy? Do they just go seeding and exterminating other worlds pointlessly?

-Why was this alien site pretty much abandoned for thousands of years if this was such an important military site? Was that alien civilization wiped out?

-Why did the cylinders in one room bleed black metallic goo, but in the other room, stay perfectly fine? And why did one Alien run to this room for safety, when it was this room where the danger first came from.

-After waking up from Cryo-sleep, why doesn't he Alien even ask a question or try to communicate before killing everyone? What did David Say to him?

-Why after being asleep for thousands of years, with his species possibly extinct, would the alien mindlessly go back on his pre determined course to eradicate all life on earth?

-Why was the Alien Rocket Jockeys so much smaller than the one in Alien? All be it a minor question.

- The Geologist is the one who has the robots that make the maps, Why he can't find his way out of the structure?

- If the Geologist and the Biologist are scared of some dead aliens, Why the fuck did they spend the night messing in the Creepiest Fucking Room in the Fucking Ship!?!

-What was in the other room, where the pile of alien bodies were found piled up on the door?

-What was the significance of the emerald stone seen on a altar in the one room with the Face sculpture and the goo containers? This is a fun question. There were specific shots of Holloway looking at this object.

-The Xenomorph mural in the same room. What does it tell us about these creatures? And what other stories are hidden in this room?

-Was Vickers an android, or just around androids too long that she even acts like one?


The movie passed the point of return when the lone, surviving alien woke from cryo-sleep. At that point, when you would think there would be some kind of answer, or at lest some dialogue, there was just a big albino alien killing everyone. Next we are told the alien is going to kill everyone on earth. The reason, cause it was the next planet on his two thousand year old to-do list. The trailers and commercials prepared me for this finale, but it didn't feel right for the film once I got there. It was exciting with a lot of sound and fury though. The aliens were merely a plot device, not the character some hoped for.

For a movie to disappoint, it has to fill you with high expectations. The notion of Ridley Scott doing a film in the same universe as Alien, set before the xenomorph discovery on LV 426, sets the bar very high. The first Alien came out in 1979, and is one of the most iconic Sci-Fi movies to date. Gigers Alien is one of the top Movie monsters of all time. So when I am upset at this film, it is only because I had high hopes. It is still one of the best movies to come out this year. I include it with films like Inception, a film that was terribly flawed, but amazing at the same time.

There were so many things to love in this film, the sets were immaculate, especially in IMAX 3-D.  The tension every time a door is opened and a new room is seen was fantastic. I wanted more exploration, I wanted to learn more about this planet and the aliens who built all this. I was absolutely riveted the whole time. That C-Section scene was intense. And the biggest success of the film has to be Michael Fassbender's excellent performance as the android, David. Even though he is a bastard, you kind of love him.  I don't need to go into too much detail, it is his performance that is getting so much of the press already. In a film about Alien gods and Humanity, the Mankind and Android comparison is fascinating. The film is all about finding your creator, but David knows his creator, and he isn't impressed. He's almost disappointed, as I was after thinking about this film later on. Its almost a cruel joke by the writers in a way. Maybe the film is all about failed expectations. Peter Weyland thought meeting his maker would be like finding his fountain of youth. Instead of getting more life, found quite the opposite.

This film can maybe be seen as a success just for how passionately people are talking about it. Debates will continue as to what the film's message was, and the idea that, while we yearn to meet and talk to our creator, maybe our creator does not want to meet us. There were so many ideas and questions left, savy sci-fi geeks will be thinking about it, and trying to fill in the gaps and plot holes for a long time.

In the end this stands as a filmmaking achievement. Just not an achievement for screenwriting or plot. But this film is still a spectacular visual treat and I still recommend it and will likely see it again and again.

The Future of Nougat

If someone actually read this blog, they would quickly notice that post apocalyptic scenarios are discussed fairly often. Even with a short history of posts, doomsday scenarios and a zombie filled post apocalypse has been a top tag. While I often try to dispel the notion that these Apocalyptical fantasies are not my primary preoccupation, I admit they fascinate me. The notion of a crumbling civilization causing a huge jump backwards in human technology has much of the country, even much of the world, captivated. One only has to look at the upcoming Movies and TV shows that people are looking forward too, like Hunger Games, or the Mad Max reboot.

I'm a big fan of Sci-fi and Fantasy. And though I am often disappointed with many of the entries in these genres, when Sci-fi and Fantasy is done well, it is amazing. As with the Post Apocalyptical sub genre of Sci-Fi, there are three big reasons why they grab me, and these are possibly the same reasons they are so popular for everyone else.

No. 1 - The world needs to burn.

There is the human fascination with destruction that gets people eager to see the next crappy Roland Emmerich movie. That same fascination with natural disasters could also explain the Force of Nature aspect to the Japanese Daikaiju sub genre. Whether it is Tsunamis, Asteroids, Zombie viruses, Alien invaders or even Gojira (Godzilla), People seem to be curiously enthralled by the idea of certain annihilation. While some of these scenarios have their survival and rising above themes, sometimes there is nothing the protagonist can do but sit back and watch the world end. Is it that we feel guilty as a race, and do we deserve extinction? Humans are polluting the planet, and killing each other. Could there be a universal subconscious notion that the pestilence of humanity needs to be wiped out? Are humans just oddly intrigued by death and destruction? This is one of those questions a psychologist might best answer, and well worth looking into further.

No 2. - Some of us just wish for a simpler time to return.

I will be first to admit, my math skills are not much past middle school level. I don't have any aptitude for computer science, and I don't have any specialized skills that will be of any use in the coming decades. That doesn't mean that I'm am completely unskilled. In fact, I have many skills and talents that many would find valuable, I'm very much a Jack of all Trades, however few of those skills have advanced much since the 19th century. With backgrounds in construction and art, I have endless possibilities for building beautiful and functional things. Home improvements and repairs are a cinch, but dose this leave me destined to be simply a lowly maintenance person who paints on the side? If civilization crumbled and technology was thrown back a few hundred years, I might do ok; in fact I might do great.

Sometimes the craving for a post apocalyptic world is not the craving for destruction and chaos, but the craving for relevance and usefulness by a Jack of all trades.

There are plenty of out of work artists and construction workers, and in this more technological and business orientated society, programing or sales are where the higher paying jobs seem to be. I often think about going back to school to learn skills in the medical industry, as all of my jobs are ok for survival, but none are good for profitable work. But in a post apocalyptical world, all my random skills might make me thrive. Endless hours watching survival shows and Macgyver have me ready to improvise in times of crisis.

I might not be as well of as some rural polymaths geniuses, or die hard as Ex Military survivalists, but I might do ok. I actually worry more about having to survive in our modern world than the notion of surviving in a barren sparsely populated Apocolypse. Perhaps this is just delusion, and surviving such a world would be a nightmare, but why are are so many people obsessed with the post apocalypse? Most of these people have in mind something that they could build, something that doesn't needing build today, but in this fantasy world, they would have value when they might not see that value in the real world. If they could build something that is useful today, would they still have this preoccupation with the the post apocalyptic? Yes, we all love our modern technology, we all love our gadgets and our streaming Netflix, but it is proven that all this shit doesn't make us happy. To be happy and content do we need to feel useful and necessary? Nostalgia for past eras of human history is not new. Maybe some people think they would feel more useful in another century. But since we can't travel back in time, we will just have to wait for civilization to crumble to make the technology of centuries past paramount again.

No. 3 - We just are not making any progress forward.

This will have to be a short and sweet explanation, as there are so many things to talk about when it comes to the changes that May come in the future. Topics like Space Colonization, Trans Humanism and Artificial Intelligence are all very far out scientific prospects for a distant future. All of these goals are hindered, now and in the foreseeable future by the politics, economics, and mindset of the world today.

There are just so many factors that seem to be keeping the world at war with one another that any progress forward seems to be impossible. And if we can not go forward, and if Change is a constant, then staying the way we are now is not a possibility at all, so the only way to go is backwards. If the nations of the world, and fringe groups of extremist causes prohibit further advancement in science and civilization, then eventual we will find ourselves thrown back into another dark age. Right now, we are only developing technology for short term economic goals, there are no grand visions or projects that have national attention. Without frontiers, Civilization will erode from within. We are too focused on our personal happiness, and there are few endeavors which people will sacrifice for any longer.

I like to think of a future moment it time as The Great Transition, the moment when we cross a scientific barrier. A barrier so monumental, that all of human culture and civilization takes a huge leap forward, from which it will be difficult to devolve backwards. All of humanity would benefit, and though vague, it is a goal I believe is worth pursuing. It might be like the first step up on the Kardashev Scale, when we go from Type 0 Civilization, to a true Type 1. The Great Transition might be another scientific breakthrough or combination of breakthroughs. The problem is there are to many factors hindering true progress, and until some of those are solved, it seems inevitable that we are on our way to stumbling backwards technologically.

So either we advance, or we will be forced to fall backwards, but maybe we Have it Coming? We may think we might be better off, but that preoccupation with a post apocalyptic world and delusions of prosperity within it are likely flawed. All we can say with certainty is that culture in 1st world countries are obsessed with post apocalypse scenarios. Why this preoccupation exists is just as fascinating as theorizing how possible these future Post Apocalyptic scenarios actually are.

Nougat 45's

Much of yesterday was spent obsessing over a pice of obsolete machinery. Something that only a debilitatingly nostalgic person would pay the slightest attention to. And it is that nostalgia, and also my interest in the past that made the day so fun.

A friend of mine has a vintage Wurlitzer, Americana III Jukebox. And with it are boxes of very eclectic 45's from the previous owner. Everything from Christmas music from the 50's, Rock and Roll from the 60's, Disco Music of the 70's and Pop hits of the 80's. Then of course, nothing newer than the mid 80's. The day was the second time we opened up the system to swap out 45's. The Jukebox was hardly used before we first looked into boxes surplus of 45's months ago. The original selection wasn't much to listen to, but once we found 45 after 45 of classic hits we loved, the juke box became a hit at the house.

The Americana III isn't the prettiest of Jukeboxes, but to open it up and see it's inner workings is still completely fascinating. Everything functions mechanically, and has done so for 4o years. Gears spinning, dials clicking, and rotors turning. It was a symphony of noise and analog technology. As we went though record after record, we kept getting faked out. There might be one or two 45's from a band or singer we liked, but none of them had any of the hits or songs we liked. There were Bands from a similar era and style, but classics we hoped we would find were not there. The fun was the exploring of a cache, even though if we wanted to we could get any MP3 to any song we wanted instantly. The juke box had space for 110 45's, or 220 songs. The boxes had a few hundred other 45's, but many were repeats or something few could appreciate today. Now days, you can get all the MP3's you can fit onto an iPod, and have a way better selection, quality, and capacity. Still, the fact that we were limited in selection didn't matter. It was again, the tactile experience, and exploring the treasure of old songs. These 45's are real, they may be obsolete, but they are Real. While the digital age may way out preform, I argue that keeping the aesthetics of the mechanical and the sensory dynamic of a tactile medium has its value.

Just today I saw this (probably staged) youtube video a young girl puzzled by a Vinyl LP. Even I had an idea of outdated technology as a kid, but maybe I watched to many old tv shows and movies. Already all these (not so) old technologies are a mystery to These Damn Kids Today, but hopefully some of them with a passion for the obsolete might also one day have an afternoon exploring old boxes of 45's get a kick out of playing the music from generations past on an old Wurlitzer Jukebox.

Your iNougat will be useless after the Data Apocalypse

Every day makes me feel like more and more of and old curmudgeon. As technology advances by leaps and bounds, my mind grasps for nostalgia rather than advancement. But why is this?

Apple just announced it's iBooks 2 Textbook service. And especially in light of the recent discovery of Foxconn and Mike Daisey's account of working conditions, I am even more sickened by technology. I too was once a die hard Apple Devotee. I still have my First computer a, Woz edition Apple IIgs that I never plan on giving up. And like Daisey, I too didn't fully grasp where all our technology came from, and as he did, imagined long robot equipped assembly lines. But this post wasn't intended to be about Foxconn, or the many other technology factories with abysmal labor conditions, but it will be hard to separate that bad taste from the sour smell of things to come in the Information Age.

Book publishers are panicking, everything is in E-book form from newspapers to novels and now text books. I don't see this as bad, but it is still sad to see a time warn trade die. Book publishers are in the direct line of fire from Amazon.com. Now, the publishers can come and go, but the idea that the printed page might soon become only a novelty is sad. Kodak has filed for bankruptcy protection, with digital imaging replacing traditional photography, the centuries old company is becoming obsolete. It't not the businesses collapsing that worry me, its the lost of the industry in general, and the lost of these methods for producing concrete photographs and printed documents.

There are rumblings of a future Data Apocalypse, and it has many forms and implications. One of the most significant is simply Data Storage. There are no archival methods for digitally storing information. Roughly every 5 to 10 years, all that data has to be updated on to new systems as hard drives, flash media, and computer operating systems changes. Even if you were to etch a tungsten disk with binary information that would be nearly indestructible, if you tried to read it 100 years later, how would your be able to read it? The computer software that coded the file could have been lost. Even with the data intact, the method to read it is not archival.

A friend once told me, "A sharp blade will never be obsolete." With that idea in mind, I also see the Printed page being the same way. Even if a language might become obsolete in time, the lifespan of an archival low acid paper and the language that the words are written in will outlive several generations of computer formats.

Perhaps it is just the unease with how dedicated we are to technology, that even though my computer is very important to me, I still like to have some traditional technology at my disposal that doesn't require logins or batteries. Maybe my mind is too focused on a fictional zombie apocalypse scenarios, and want to know how to survive with 20th century comfort with 19th century technology. My fixation with a zombie apocalypse, or any apocalypse for that matter is subject for a future post.

In 1859 the worst solar storm ever recorded hit the Earth. A coronal mass ejection shot towards Earth at the peak of a 500 year solar maximum. Thankfully technology of those days was still mostly steam and horse power. However, telegraph stations in the Northern US experienced an electro magnetic burst, causing telegraph lines to ignite and telegraph stations to burn down. And what would happen if this happened today? Im sure there are some bad History Channel shows which sensationalize this topic. It would be a technological Apocalypse or Techocalypse. This would be a major earth changing event, and one that would set back the technological age a few decades. Computer systems would fry. Simple lighting might take days or weeks to repair, but the data, the vast stores of data in computers, severs and in the cloud, what would happen to that? Would it wipe away clean all information, or would it just damage the systems permanently?

And if society has to rebuild, what could we fall back on if the last printed book on any given topic is decades old? We would not only be thrown back to pre electricity lifestyle for a period of time. When we begin to rebuild, we might initially only be able to climb up to the time when the last printed information in Science, Engineering and Medicine was printed.

The future might give us some sort new technology, one that will effectively give us a Save point. Right now, given some ability, we probably would not be thrown any further back in time before electricity became widely used. Other circumstances would have to be in effect to throw us back further, but in the future we might find a new Save point, one that might lock technology from not being likely to fall back further than that level of achievement.

Who knows when that future save point might be, or what it is. Till then, keep a few books around, cause when the power goes out, you won't be able to go to Google to solve your problems.

Betelgeuse is shedding nougat

Of the billions and billions of stars in our cosmos, there are right now both new stars being born as well as old stars dying. The stuff that we are made of, and the world around us is composed of atoms created in the crucible of dying stars. We are beings made of star dust, and that very being could not have been if it were not for our stellar ancestors who have long since departed.

Please excuse my Sagan like spiel. Eno's Apollo album is playing, and that might have something to do with my spacey eloquence.

The star Betelgeuse is about to explode, ANY MINUTE NOW! ...or any millennium now. It is known that Betelgeuse is a late stage Super Red Giant star, and that it is predicted to explode in a type two supernova very soon; very soon, that is, in astronomical terms. While a supernova could be seen any minute, it is estimated that it will happen within the next Million years. And if star supernovas are anything like waiting for the cable guy to install your new cable box, if the estimate is between now and a million years, you might want to give up hope that it will happen on the sooner side of the appointment estimate.

But now there is some more juicy and wild speculation! Not only will this event happen at the winter solstice on December 21st, 2012, it will appear to be a second sun in the sky resembling the twin suns of Tatooine from Star Wars: A new hope.

Now that would be pretty awesome. I'm already in the desert, and still full angst from not knowing where I fit into this world, hoping for and adventure that will reveal my destiny. I'll have my moment to stair angstilly (that isn't even a word) at the setting of twin suns while I wear my karate gi. It will be great. Get some storm troopers to bump off my Aunt and Uncle and I am just another step closer to the life I've dreamed of since I was ten.

The reality of the matter is quite different, and yet the significance of Betelgeuse going supernova is still not at all diminished. If the red giant star does supernova, it will only be about as luminous as the Full Moon, roughly 1/100,000th the brightens of our Sun. Not quite a second sun, but noticeable in daylight. The tying in to the Mayan Calendar and the 2010 hullaballoo is just another silly pseudo scientific bit of nonsense; the cherry on top of the crackpot ice cream sunday if you will.

But what if...

The significance of Betelgeuse in astronomy is tremendous, It is ninth brightest star in our sky and it is also part of Orion, one the most recognized and most appreciated constellations in the heavens. Just the tradition of stellar navigation going back thousands of years is profound. The Orion constellation has significance with nearly every culture dating back to ancient times. This red giant, the shoulder of Orion, is of immense cultural, historical, mythological and even of navigational importance to all of man kind. If Orion were to Supernova, and later become invisible to the casual viewer, it would be almost as much of an impact to our culture as if the Big Dipper disappeared, perhaps even greater.

The following is completely Science Fiction.

What if on December 21st, 2012 We Do whiteness the supernova of Betelgeuse? I say whiteness, because, for us to see the supernova of Betelgeuse the moment the Mayan calendar ends, it would have had to have happened 0ver 600 years ago. The star is over 600 light years away, and there's that whole Speed of Light thing to factor in. If the Mayan Calendar is as prophetic as some would like to believe, then a great event at the end of the B'ak'tun, and the great cycle of the Mesoamerican Long Count Calendar would be amazing. While some say it will be the end of the world, and others make ridicules cataclysmic predictions I have another more subtle, but equally profound [sci-fi] idea.

Ask any Mayanist about 2012 and they will not spout off about silly apocalyptic ideas. The end of the Mayan Calendar is just like the end of our calendar; we pull out the Far Side a day calendar we just got for Christmas and start over when the previous one ends. That is we could, if only Gary Larson didn't completely retire and then also refuse to let us have our yearly reruns in 365 day increments. I am still a little bitter about that.

The day Betelgeuse appears to supernova and is lost to the naked eye it, will mark the end of an age. While it may not impact our lives today, consider the significance of the stars in the past. If Betelgeuse had gone at a time when the stars were not just pretty things to view at night, but celestial bodies that were depended on, this would have been a titanically profound moment. If the Mayan astronomers were as advanced as some modern day pseudo science followers claim, they might have predicted the supernova of Betelgeuse and then chiseled that end date into their long count calendar to mark the future end date of their age. If if and when Betelgeuse does supernova between now and the end of human society; from that time, you would almost be able to split up the entire history of human culture in terms of the Betelgeuse Era (BE) and After Betelgeuse Era (ABE).

It's purely a Sci-Fi idea, But while I am partying up at some wild 2012 Party I will try and take a moment to stop and look and Orion and its Right (our Left) Shoulder. Maybe a brilliant light will shine day and night and call on a new age. Maybe nothing will happen.

Perhaps more than 600 years later the star will finally be observed to supernova, and with more accurate recording of distance astronomers might be able to calculate that the moment the supernova occurred was exactly on December 21st, 2012.

That would be a shit your pants moment.

A: Your skull is full of nougat

Q: Why do zombies crave brains?

I am not the first to applaud AMC for their Walking Dead series. While the Zombie genre's popularity has endured and evolved for decades, this series that is surprisingly smart and emotional. Especially considering that the setting is a world filled with mindless hordes of brain dead monsters.

For a very long time, I would not have considered myself a fan of Zombie films, but starting with 28 days later and Shawn of the Dead, I have definitely come around to appreciate the Romero Zombie Mythology. I would almost say I am, at times, obsessed with it. But why is part of our culture drawn to these films, and what is it that I find so fascinating? I think it comes down to Five main reasons that the Romero Zombie literature is captivating to myself, and to many others.

First, it is about Survival.

We could all complain endlessly about the rise of reality TV and the decline of good scripted programing. But despite all our grievances towards current trends in television, we almost all have a reality show weakness. I can't get enough of Les Stroud or Bear Grylls. There is almost and obsessive need to keep watching, made much worse if there is a marathon running, where I feel like any tip for staying alive that I miss might be the one that I might need someday. I keep way to much crap in my pockets thinking that some day I will have to Macguyver myself out of a situation. No, seriously, I do need that many paperclips at all times.

The current Zombie stories are about Survival, the horror is not lost, but I am drawn to the survival and critical thinking. After watching, I sometimes think about what I might do in such a fictional situation, and I imagine a game plan or strategy. There is much shared with Post Apocalyptic genre in that it is a harsh world that requires an acute skill for survival and the removal of everything but the basic necessities of day to day life. This simplification also ties with Castaway fiction as well.

Second, It is Not about the dead.

What made the batch of zombie films in the 2000s great, was that they were not about the Zombies. Yes, the Zombies were an integral part of the story, but in many ways they Zombies are a very weak antagonist. The Zombie Apocalypse is a setting, Not a character. In many good Zombie movies, the Zombies could almost be replaced with anything, be it Aliens, Monsters, or The Stuff. It is the Characters, and how they interact in the setting that make some of the recent Zombie fiction so popular. Another big benefit is that the newer films, books and TV shows are much smarter. I have yet to read Max Brooks, World War Z, but I am told that it is brilliant in describing what was once a campy splatter film genre, but now a realistic and detailed thought out world. I still need to read the original Walking Dead Comic.

Third, it can get pretty emotional.

More than any other that I have seen, The Walking Dead shows that the there is an

enormous amount of emotion that is rarely touched in the Zombie genre. From worrying about missing family members, to the horror of having to kill a turned loved one, There is no end to the emotional buttons that can be pressed. It is this emotional element that is reaching out of the once obscure genre and to the masses. Shawn of the Dead was a romantic Comedy in many ways, there just happened to be Zombies acting as the narrative guides.

Forth, there is a message in there somewhere.

When George Romero first took the Zombie Mythology from that of a Voodoo curse on the living, to the mind killing contagion in Night of the Living Dead, we were given a social commentary about America's fear concerning the spread of Communism. Since then, Zombies have been used as metaphor for Consumerism, Environmentalism, Bioengineering and more. From Post Apocalyptic and Castaway fiction, I also find that a big element in Zombie fiction is people subconsciously wanting simplification in their life. There is a draw to these worlds, but not the horrible world itself, but to the idea of a world with simpler demands. We are a culture so over burdened with Debt, bills, obligations and careers. I think many wish there was some sort of escape from the hassles of modern society, and maybe a Zombie Apocalypse would almost be worth it if it made thinks simple again.

Fifth, just tell me where to shoot.

I could ramble on endlessly about how violence is wired into humanity. The world is not black and white. There is no pure evil, and every enemy deep down is just another poor sap trying to make it though the day. But we often crave an adversary, one that we can unleash the full glut of violence that society requires us to keep bottled up and in check. We get the definite good or bad (or alive or dead) distinction in Zombie fiction, but we also have the knowledge that they were once living. This stops it from being a good vs. the ultimate evil idea, as these were once good people too, yet we are able to keep the conviction that this is violence that needs to be done. In the real world there is never a time when that is the case.

Violence is detestable, and there is never justification for it. Unless the Third Reich is marching across Europe, or we are defending the helpless from murderous bandits, there is never a time when violence is acceptable. But human nature is violent, and as society forces us to suppress and ignore the blood thirsty, animal nature within us all. There will still be times when we will crave to attack with the fury of ten thousand enraged gorillas with chainsaws. Thankfully we have some fictional outlets to channel those impulses, and Zombies make some of the best targets.

Just remember to aim for the head.