A Note From The Sad Puppies

We want stories and tales of alien skies
Reflected in four-orbed alien eyes.
We want to see worlds we've never known;
Give us new and strange, 'til our minds are blown.
We want all the wonders you can arrange—
But make it the same 'cause we can't stand change.
—Daz

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Well The Little Green Men, They Were Real Hep-Cats

It's about time we had another music post, Gentle Reader. I'm pretty sure I've done science fiction before, but the topic's come up in several places of late, so, sod it, here's another one. And I've deliberately not gone back to see what I might have added to an older post; if I've doubled up, well I doubt I've managed to do so with all six, and hearing the same song twice in a time-span measured in months or years is hardly gonna hurt anyone is it?

Anyways, feel free, as ever, and as I probably no longer need to say, to add your own suggestions in comments. (Just paste the YouTube URL into a new line in the comment, to embed the video.)
—Daz

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Terry Pratchett Has Shaken Hands With Death

I have many friends who I've never met. Terry Pratchett was, I have to say, the greatest of them. He gave me company, comfort, joy, laughter tears and sadness tears and new ideas. He constantly questioned my old ideas, sometimes adding to them, sometimes gently correcting them or, at times, forcing me to realise that I'd been flat-out wrong. And all with a wry, twinkly-eyed humour which never berated nor belittled.

I am sad that my friend who I never met has met his own most sympathetic and memorable character, Death. I am glad that my friend is no longer suffering. I will miss my friend, though I never met him, terribly terribly much.
—Daz

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A Historical Date In SF History

And here's the post I wanted to make last night.

Today in 1938 (now yesterday here, but there's ten or so hours of it left in more westerly portions of the globe), the BBC broadcast a live excerpt from Karel Čapek's play R.U.R.. For those who care about such things, this was the first, as far as is known, televised science fiction show.

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Dr Who And The Daleks

Y'see, someone sent me this pdf, and I just had to share! So I did some converty-stuff, and some uploady-stuff, and some linky-stuff, and can now do some, erm, display-y stuff.

What follows is a series of collectors' cards which were enclosed with sweet cigarettes, in 1964. (To anyone under the age of forty or so; yes, they did indeed once make sweets that looked like real cigarettes. They even had a fiery-red tip. On cold mornings when you could see your breath, you could even exhale vast amounts of rather convincing "smoke.")

The Daleks, of course, we all know and love to hate. Apart from Dalek Caan, of course. Who could hate Dalek Caan? If you're wondering who on (or rather, off) Earth the Voord are though, they were the villains in the sixth of the first doctor's adventures, The Keys Of Marinus.

So anyway, here's the cards. Enjoy.
—Daz

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The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy

A heads-up for anyone interested. BBC Four Extra are repeating the original radio series of The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy. The first episode is on iPlayer now.

That is all.
—Daz

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An Amusing Snip, A Mini-Rant & A Quote

So I had occasion to look up the spelling of Aldous Huxley's name a while back. (I can never, for some reason, remember whether it's 'Huxley' or 'Huxly.') I did it the obvious way: I typed it into Google, knowing it would correct me if I were wrong. (I wasn't, as it happens.)

Anyways, I learned this strange and interesting fact, from the right-hand side-bar where they put info-results for famous people and the like…

Slight mirth ensued.

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FNIMN: ‘Cause We Can’t Find Reverse

So, just for a change Gentle Reader, I thought I'd put up this week's Friday Night Is Music Night post on Friday night! What a rebel I am, eh? This week's is on the theme of Science Fiction.

As ever, feel free to add your own in comments.

(Speaking of SF, am I the only SF reader in the world who never liked superhero comics, even as a child?)

(Speaking of music, I heartily recommend, to UK readers, a film on BBC 2 later tonight, Telstar: the Joe Meek Story.)
—Daz

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Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star

Twinkle twinkle little star
I no longer wonder what you are;
Billions of tons of gases, alight,
Yet so far away—just a dot in the night.
Do your fires warm lands in alien places,
Your warmth light smiles on alien faces?
Do they gaze on old Sol in their own night sky?
As I wonder of them, do they wonder of I?

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Too Much Gravitas For Words

Iain Banks has died.

I'm not much of a one for obituaries, but his death is one I feel a need to mark somehow. So I have.

My thoughts, for whatever they're worth, are with his family and friends.
—Daz

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