NeekTopia

In every series of Doctor Who, there comes a time when an old enemy must be revisited. Though the second half of Series 7 would seem to have fulfilled this requirement with “Cold War,” the episode focused on the Ice Warrior Skaldak, it was decided that Neil Gaiman‘s episode would be about the classic Cybermen. This had me worried for several reasons. In almost every episode of New Who that has featured these baddies, their stories have been near carbon copies of one another. They have been characterized by a lack of imagination in terms of plotting, and little to no evolution of the Cybermen themselves. Which is why “Nightmare in Silver“ was, hands down, the best Cyberman episode that we have had in a long, long time (as well as one of the best episodes of Who overall).

The conundrum of the week is the Crimson Horror and its ensuing trail of bright red bodies in the river. The episode is a fun romp through Victorian Yorkshire with a delightful cast of humans, non-humans, and one complete nutter. The situation never feels too dire, the dialogue is enjoyably witty, and the ending isn’t a crammed three minutes of the Doctor hurriedly explaining to us why everything that has happened in the past 45 minutes does make sense, honest. A lovely episode of filler plot and wonderful style.

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Fans have been teased with the endlessness of the TARDIS since the beginning of Who, and though several rooms have been revealed in the past, this was an episode that promised to focus exclusively on the interior of the ship that has been a pillar of the show since 1963. “Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS” did deliver some moments of true neek joy. It was really cool to see a glimpse of the interior of the TARDIS, and the Van Baalen brothers’ subplot was yet another subtly warped mirror of the Doctor-Clara relationship. However, I wish that less of the episode had been spent in corridors, and that the ending had been given more thought. I would recommend this episode nonetheless, if just for the beautiful parts of the TARDIS that we do see.

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Titled “Hide,” this week’s romp through the Doctor’s world centers around supernatural events occurring in and around the mysterious Caliburn mansion, where Professor Alec Palmer (Dougray Scott) and Emma Grayling (Jessica Raine) are investigating the “Witch of the Well” who is rumored to be haunting the place. The characters were the central focus of the episode, which was a welcome relief from the giant scale of the episodes that have characterized Series 7. “Hide” was able to keep the “ghost story” trope fresh with the addition of time travel and alternate dimensions.

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The story takes place on a sinking Soviet submarine (alliteration FTW) during the Cold War. The quarters are cramped and tensions are running high as the vessel slowly fills with water and an Ice Warrior named Skaldak – who believes himself to be the last of his kind – runs rampant. Or perhaps slithers, as he does in fact vacate his armor and travels through the sub making very Basilisk-y rasping sounds. I enjoyed the comparison of (and contrast between) the “real” Cold War and the “cold war” occurring within the sub, which was in essence a game of chicken between several trigger-happy (cattle prod-happy?) naval officers, a really cranky Martian, an ages-old Gallifreyan and his 21st-century companion who were both anticipating Vegas and were instead confronted with a wet, cramped submarine and a lily-livered TARDIS…and twelve nuclear missiles.

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“The Rings of Akhaten” is a rollicking space-y adventure complete with Star Wars-ian alien fauna and some seriously awesome visual effects from the masters at The Mill. The story structure is not revolutionary, but neither is it absurdly nonsensical like several of its predecessors.

CONS:

When the Doctor offers up his memories to Grandfather, and when Clara gives it the leaf encapsulating her mother’s life-that-never-was, there were no consequences. When Grandfather began eating the Doctor’s stories, I thought that perhaps afterwards he would be unable to remember any details of his past. When that didn’t happen and Clara stepped up to the plate with her leaf held high, I was sure that the act of Grandfather devouring it would erase her memories of her mother. That didn’t happen either. The point? There is potential in that scene for serious ramifications of hasty actions that is not realized.

PROS:

Despite Smith’s slightly underwhelming overall performance, his heartfelt speech to Grandfather about days lived and days gone and time and stories and memories (although initially a bit forced in its sincerity) ends up being a very emotionally taxing scene and showcases Smith’s acting chops as he leaps from rage to depression to jubilation all in the space of several minutes.

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Before I begin, I would like to make several comments regarding the nature of this novel. First of all, The Fault in Our Stars, despite the fact that the narrator disdains upon such titles, is in truth a ‘cancer book.’ To be fair, it’s not an up-ending, inspiring tale of dreams achieved and goals met, wishes come true and everlasting exuberance found – but nonetheless it is a standard-bearer for the fast-emerging genre of teen fiction the Daily Mail has dubbed “sick lit.” The title character, Hazel Grace Lancaster, is introduced as a suffering victim yet pities herself not; she endures the trials that define her existence as a cancer patient – namely the deaths and sacrifices of her friends, as well as her own unstable condition – and emerges from the ordeal sadder but wiser, and potentially more hopeful about her wretched existence. Thus some reviewers might afford it more praise than it is due purely because it details the suffering of the terminally ill and does not attempt to gloss over the gory details for the sake of a glittering, felicitous end. I shall attempt not to allow such precepts to cloud my objectivity, though neither shall I endeavor to present this book in an unduly negative light.

....

It is possible that I have been stubbornly cynical to deflect the wave of insight that this book has set upon me. Let me say this: The Fault in Our Stars is a well-written, earnest novel that never felt slow. Even the lengthier scenes had energy, and that is a difficult endeavor to skillfully accomplish as a writer. Upon completion, I felt honestly moved. That is not a statement I make often with regards to teen fiction. So, all in all, I applaud John Green for writing an accessible novel not only concerning cancer, but people. Thank you.

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Twttr

Twitter announced that it will henceforth be a two-teired service. Anyone can use “Twttr,” but you only get consonants and the letter “y.”

Eco Trees

“SMART Eco Trees intake CO2 and release oxygen to support a healthier environment. In the process it also uses a natural filtering system to eliminate pollutants. Eco Trees also help keep the humidity at a pleasant level. These features are fully automatic and require only the addition of water and S (Solar) Beams.”

Guardian Goggles

Guardian upped the augmented reality ante with their new Goggles, “a pair of web-connected…spectacles that will beam [the Guardian's] journalism directly into the wearer’s visual field, enabling users to see the world through the Guardian’s eyes at all times.”

Sarcastically Specific Netflix Categories 

Netflix added a new movie or TV show category to all users’ Netflix accounts…but with a twist. These snarky category titles mock the over-specification that Netflix often uses when separating its media.

Google Nose Beta

According to Google, smelling is believing. This tool allows users to sniff the screens of their computers and smell…whatever it is they’d like to smell. “In the fast-paced world that we live in, we don’t always have time to stop and smell the roses,” proclaims product manager Jon Wooly. “Now with Google Nose Beta, the roses are just a click away.”

Gmail Blue

Google is radically reinventing Gmail with this spoof on Windows Blue. “How do we completely redesign and recreate something while keeping it exactly the same?” asks the project manager. The answer? Gmail Blue. It’s Gmail…only bluer.

Instacart Puppies Express

Everyone loves puppies. Even you, jaded wanderer of the far reaches of the Interwebs. So when you need your puppy fix, just pop online to order unlimited free puppies. Unlimited puppies. What could possibly be better than this?

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Doctor Who Series 7 returned to televisions worldwide on March 30th with the invigoratingly flashy midseries premiere "The Bells of Saint John." The central plot itself foundered somewhat when it was asked to support the forgettable monsters known as the “Spoonheads” as well as fail to explain why “The Great Intelligence” (played by Richard E. Grant) wanted people’s souls all of a sudden when snowmen seemed to entertain it just fine only a few hundred years prior. Despite the plot holes, the episode was a fun romp around London with the Doctor, and included several action scenes that make Mission: Impossible look positively retro. All in all, “The Bells of Saint John” is a good, solid episode with a few gaps in reasoning that were quickly overshadowed by the Clara-Doctor dynamic and the spectacular imagery.

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Google Glass is a ubiquitous, head-mounted computer that Google is currently developing. When you put on Google Glass, you don't immediately see a screen - you have to focus on the top right area of your view, and suddenly the small box materializes. I feel that this extra step – looking up and refocusing to see the screen – is unnecessary. Glass needs a full heads-up display. As in, Iron Man's helmet-level heads-up display.

For example: road directions. If Glass had two full lenses instead of its current little cube, your directions could be superimposed over the road ahead of you.

 At a party and you can't remember who it is who just walked over to you and asked about the kids? Use Glass' camera to search for their face across various social media sites, then display key information about them, like which college they went to and whether they have any friends in common with you.

Look at text in a foreign language and immediately translate it.

Examine a leaf and Glass will tell you what tree it came from and no don't pick that up it's poisonous.

Superimpose an ebook over the world as you ride the bus to work.

Look at a building and learn its name and use.

Watch a movie on the go.

Filter sunlight if it's getting too bright.

Turn a fencing match into an epic fantasy battle.

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My interest was piqued a while back when Neil Gaiman mentioned on his blog a radio drama called Neverwhere, based on the eponymous novel. I must say that what struck me the most aboutthe radio series was the fact that when I sat back and closed my eyes, I saw everything I heard. I could allow my mind to wander based on the gentle guidance it had been given through auditory prompts. The sound effects were rarely overdone, the orchestration tasteful, and the use of dialogue as a stand-in for description was subtle yet effective.

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Right before Earth Hour - which is an event occurring on March 23rd (yesterday) encouraging people to switch their lights off for an hour to raise awareness for the environment - the Starfleet logo appeared in the sky over London as a promo for Star Trek: Into Darkness. A team from Ars Electronica Futurelab & Ascending Technologies (they're really cool, and they do stuff like this all the time. Definitely check out the website.) assembled a series of quadrocopters, each carrying powerful LEDs, into the shape of the well-known emblem.

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This tiny device constantly monitors the composition of a patient's blood and sends the information via radio waves and/or Bluetooth to your smartphone and your doctor. The implant can supposedly predict heart attacks hours in advance, monitor glucose levels in diabetics, and detect cholesterol, among other uses. What does all that boil down to? A modern-day tricorder may be just around the corner.

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