So in the last week there’s been a lot of fuss online about net neutrality. It’s a debate that’s been dragging on for months (years?), but the recent announcement by Google and Verizon of a proposed framework to address net neutrality has brought it out into the open. As far as I can tell with the exception of AT&T, no one is happy with the proposal (well presumably Google and Verizon are).
By this point I’ve read through several different summaries of the framework and I think it’s flawed. What I don’t understand is the absurdity of blaming Google, claiming they are evil and that they have handed the internet over to the phone companies.
It isn’t Google’s job (or in fact that of any company) to negotiate an agreement on your behalf. It isn’t their job to protect your rights or arrange for you to be given new rights. We already have an organization for that purpose. It’s called the Government.
Unfortunately the Government has so far totally failed to live up to its responsibilities. The FCC seems either unable or unwilling to exercise enough political influence to set up a deal. And sadly it seems that more than a few representatives are only too happy to listen to one sponsored lobbyist or another.
And yet who are people complaining about.? Who are people organizing protests against? Yup, Google. A company that doesn’t even have the capability to make it’s proposed framework law in the first place!
French philosopher Joseph de Maistre said “Every nation has the government it deserves.” and there’s a lot of truth in that statement. If you want true net neutrality, start lobbying the people with the power to enact it and stop believing that some fairy godmother corporation will come along and do all the hard work for you.
Eoghann Irving is a sci-Fi fan, self professed geek, owner of too many computers and general know it all. Follow me on Google Buzz, LinkedIn or Twitter to chat about this or anything else.
View Comments
I’ve been on a bit of a Tolkien kick recently (in all honestly I’ve been on a Tolkien kick for my entire life) so I thought I’d watch the 1977 animated tv movie of The Hobbit. I went into this knowing that I really wasn’t the target audience for this adaptation, but curious none the less.
What I found was a really mixed bag. There are some elements of the movie that are remarkably strong and others that just jar my nerves.
I was surprised by how faithful the animated movie was to The Hobbit. It’s short running time inevitably means that plot elements are left out, but the core of it remains true to the book and all the major characters are featured and they even included the Battle of Five Armies. That’s really more than I expected from an animated movie from Rankin/Bass.
The voice work is mainly good and the animation is tolerable to good (shout out to John Huston as Gandalf). If you’ve seen other Rank/Bass productions you’ll know what to expect. The musical elements were inevitable, and at least they used Tolkien’s poems for them. But it does feel forced and distracts from the story rather than adds to it.
In terms of design, it’s a strange mixture. The backgrounds feel entirely in keeping with Tolkien’s work. The colors and styles are very reminiscent of stuff I’ve seen before. On the other hand the character designs don’t seem to match up with any of Tolkien’s descriptions. The dwarves aren’t terrible, but are a lot less impressive than I envisage. The goblins look hideous at least, but nothing like I pictured them. But the elves are absolutely terrible. I don’t know what they were thinking with that design. Perhaps it has something to do with the Japanese animation house used for much of the work.
Putting aside the visual elements, my main problem with Arthur Rankin and Jules Bass’ adaptation of The Hobbit is that none of the dwarves are really given enough time to develop a personality. Only Thorin gets any significant amount of lines. It’s a result of the short run time of course and the producers made the obvious decision to focus on Bilbo Baggins (the titular Hobbit) at the expense of everyone else.
There’s also something missing. When I read The Hobbit, I get a huge sense of fun throughout the book, even the darker chapters. The animated movie feels a bit bleak. And that’s really strange for a Rankin Bass production.
Somehow I don’t think J.R.R. Tolkien would be terribly impressed with the animated Hobbit. But then I doubt Tolkien would be impressed with any of the adaptations. It’s certainly not the adaptation that I picture in my head. But you have to look at it for what it is. It’s aimed firmly at children and it’s a mainstream tv movie from 30+ years ago. Set your expectations to a realistic level and there is something to enjoy here.
Eoghann Irving is a sci-Fi fan, self professed geek, owner of too many computers and general know it all. Follow me on Google Buzz, LinkedIn or Twitter to chat about this or anything else.
View Comments
Absolutely bloody brilliant! The third and final episode of Sherlock was the best of the series. The first episode was excellent and the second okay, but this one didn’t put a foot wrong for the entire 90 minutes.
I have to admit I had my doubts going in. Mark Gatiss recent Doctor Who episode hadn’t impressed me much and Steven Moffat is rarely out-written. On top of which I was very dubious about the wisdom of introducing Moriarity so early in the series existence.
I’m pleased to say that I was wrong on all counts though. Gatiss penned the most authentic Sherlock Holmes episode I have ever seen even if it was set in the present day. It captured everything from the characters to the atmosphere perfectly. I can even forgive him for that cliffhanger.
As in the last two episodes Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman make an excellent Holmes and Watson. Their interaction is much more convincing than that of the recent movie. It was nice to see the rest of the supporting cast return as well since they add a lot of depth to the world of Sherlock Holmes.
It’s hard to develop a story arc in a 3 episode season and the Moriarty plot seemed ham handedly forced onto the end of the last two stories, but here it fit in perfectly. Andrew Scott gives us a wonderfully insane Moriarty and one that feels like a genuine threat to Sherlock.
Throughout the episode we are shown that Moriarty is really a dark reflection of Sherlock. Moriarty is what we were warned that Sherlock could become in the first episode. Sherlock’s enjoyment of the “games” that Moriarty makes him play is obvious and his casual manipulation of people and their emotions is unsettling.
And yet there is a difference. While Moriarty revels in his own brilliance and the chaos he causes, Sherlock does seem to follow some sort of moral code and clearly has a strong tendency towards order.
There’s really nothing bad I can say about this episode and I am already waiting impatiently for it to return for the promised second season.
Eoghann Irving is a sci-Fi fan, self professed geek, owner of too many computers and general know it all. Follow me on Google Buzz, LinkedIn or Twitter to chat about this or anything else.
View Comments
I reviewed Warehouse 13′s crossover episode earlier and now it’s time for Eureka. Not surprisingly the aptly named Crossing Over uses the same two characters as the focal point of the titular crossover. And why not, they’ve developed a nice chemistry together.
As I mentioned in the previous review these two shows have a similar feel to them and once again there was more emphasis on humor than on any deep plot. Unlike Warehouse 13 however, Eureka didn’t give us a stand alone episode. This was deeply rooted in the ongoing time change storyline that Eureka is playing out. There was a handy recap at the beginning of the episode, but I wonder if new viewers (the usual reason for a crossover) might be a little confused?
I’ve been really enjoying this season’s story arc because it forces familiar characters to face unfamiliar situations and the same is true here, particularly where Henry (Joe Morton) has to find a way to interact more naturally with his “new” wife. I also like the less combative relationship between Jo Lupo (Erica Cerra) and Sherrif Carter (Colin Ferguson). On the other hand I’m getting really tired of endlessly simmering romance between Allison and Carter. It just feels worn out.
When reviewing Warehouse 13, I mentioned that there wasn’t much sense of threat in the episode because only the main cast were at risk. In essence we had the same situation here, but Eureka has killed off a cast member before and is downright ruthless with its recurring characters. So there was a feeling that Trevor Grant (James Callis) could conceivably die, even if it was unlikely.
This isn’t a game changing episode for Eureka, it’s really more of the same. But that same is an entertaining mixture of tension, character and quips. It’s a great way to relax after a hard day’s work. Fun without requiring too much effort on my part.
Eoghann Irving is a sci-Fi fan, self professed geek, owner of too many computers and general know it all. Follow me on Google Buzz, LinkedIn or Twitter to chat about this or anything else.
View Comments
