Matt’s Blog

Finally I got my hands on season 9, though two weeks late unfortunately. I guess I’ve been a little more obsessed with bowling than I though I was. So far I’ve just watched the first three part episode, and I like it more than I thought I would. Col. Mitchell’s dialog is a little too reminiscent of Jack, and though I can see the motivation for it, I think it might get a little annoying. And the interaction between Vala and Daniel is not exactly what I was hoping for, so far anyway. We’ll see where that goes, hopefully nowhere, though she does make for excellent eye candy. Forget the faults though, it’s Stargate, the best hope for a replacement for Star Trek.

I always wanted to read Ringworld by Larry Niven.  I finally did it the other day.  My only dissapointment is that I came to learn of it only through the video game which was partially inspired by it, Halo.  I say that because I don’t generally play video games, and so I came to know of the book by somewhat random chance.

It’s quite an amazing idea really, to build a Ringworld around a sun.  Though I think the mass requirements are a little prohibitive.  But the book is full of traditional Star Trek style space adventures.  Weird looking aliens, tech talk and ideas of massive proportion.  Since what is space besides potential for objects of mind blowing size.  All the recent sci fi productions, be they books or movies, have been leaning more toward the human component of futuristic fiction, which I praise and have even blogged about recently.  Ringworld is just a reminder of a simpler time, and since it’s even better since it’s a whole series.

Aside from the ill-conceived attempt at comic relief in the middle of the film (though it does play an important part of the story), Sideways is a great film. I think I liked it most for it’s quality of reality. There’s a scene when the two friends are on their way to a restaraunt on foot. In a typical Hollywood cellulite job, they’d be walking along a brick path, surrounded by impressive decorating and so called “beautiful people.” But in Sideways, they’re on the side of a busy highway, in front of a car dealership, like two normal people. That’s what makes it great, the characters are real, they have flaws and the movie explores them. Just as it should be.

When it comes to the debate of prison and criminal reform, I’m definitely on the nurture side of the debate.  I think that society has as much a role in creating a criminal as the criminal himself does.  That’s why I’ve always believed that if someone convicted of a crime completes their sentence in good faith, the crime should be wiped from their record, whatever type of crime that might be.  The inmate has done his/her part, and forgetting about mistakes made is our part.  No man is an island.