gdp's Comments

Mark Watches : Mark Watches 'Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan'

Fri, 6 Feb 2015 12:53:47 +0000

I'm still watching TOS. At the time these movies came out, I had watched STNG but was unable to get my hands on TOS, so this was all I had to get on the first generation. This movie in particular is my favourite, and the reason I was hooked on TOS. You're right, the villain and the last sacrifice are what carry the movie. Thank you for giving me something else to put against the new movies: the longevity of the friendship. These aren't kids with a few years on the fleet who bitch and moan about the unfairness of life. These are mature people who've been through a lot and have a tried and tested relationship that spans several decades, vast experience in their fields, including Kirk's trademark worming out of tough situations, with a shared code of their own given by said experience and long contact with each other. They're not kids who wing it out of every situation with spunk and a hot headed stubborness against thinking things through. Naq Fcbpx'f fnpevsvpr jnf gbb vzcbegnag gb unir znqr vg fb purnc jvgu Xvex'f cfrhqb "fnpevsvpr" gung tbg fbyirq va yrff guna 2 zvahgrf juvyr Fcbpx jrag ba gb univat ab ybtvp jungfbrire orpnhfr ur'f n ubg urnqrq aba Ihypna. Ur'f abg pneelvat uvf ragver pvivyvmngvba ba uvf crefba be nalguvat yvxr gung. *Rant over.* The Kobayashi Maru (Being an Xphile, every time I hear that I can't help thinking of Piper Maru) test is a strong theme in this movie and the first instance we have on how Kirk beat the system and became who he is. That's no small feat. Since I share pretty much most of your opinions on this movie, I'm hoping that the next one you'll like it just as much as I do. Although it's not more than I like this one.

Mark Reads : Mark Reads 'Mort': Part 4

Mon, 21 Jul 2014 19:29:12 +0000

The thing you mentioned about the language or slang used in the shades is simply the language used by people of low socioeconomic standing in an English speaking country, but that one specifically is low class English-from-England language used in every text about England. I don't see what racism has to do with that. The scene of the robbery is so funny. Somehow I had a glimpse of Granny when a stupid thief tried to rob her.

Mark Reads : Mark Reads 'Mort': Part 1

Mon, 14 Jul 2014 22:25:00 +0000

See? Ask and you get it. This books have everything! Death is my favourite character, followed very closely by the Luggage and the Librarian. Tell me if you don't think they're the best! Now let's see how much you like this Death now that you can know more about him. I've got a confession to make. I can't read The Book Thief because I'm so used to the Discworld Death that the one in TBT seems lame and it's jarring to my view of what a good Death should be. I don't know how to pass over that prejudice I have to read that book. Do you have any idea on how I can do it?

Mark Reads : Mark Finishes 'Equal Rites': Part 13

Mon, 14 Jul 2014 21:44:09 +0000

I am totally with you on the need of a book with the Librarian as the main character and totally about him. The Librarian deserves so much more attention! And just like you, after reading this book, I wanted to know more about Esk and what she did to the wizards. I guess that's something to look forward to. I hope.

Mark Reads : Mark Reads 'Equal Rites': Part 9

Mon, 14 Jul 2014 15:27:49 +0000

Mrs Whitlow isn't a witch, she's just a housekeeper who wants to think of herself as dabbling in witchcraft. That's made clear by her needing people like Granny to tell her of her future.

Mark Reads : Mark Reads 'Equal Rites': Part 8

Mon, 14 Jul 2014 14:48:15 +0000

I'm sorry but I can't share your notion of equating having fancies to being a bad person. If that was the case, we should shun most of the world for having quirks and fancies we don't like because that must certainly mean they're bad people, right? I know that's probably not what you meant, you were talking about the kind of things people do that hurt other people for their own amusement. In that respect also I can't agree with you. I've met my fair share of people with fancies who always found amusing to try as hard as they could to hurt me just because it was fun to them, like a challenge. When I was little it hurt me. As I grew up I stopped caring. But also when I was little I could see past that when the person changed because it does happen, people does actually grow up and change. If I had crossed out all those who had fun at my expenses throughout my life as Bad People (because that's the way you describe that), I wouldn't know some very good people today. People who grew up and understood what they did and appologised to me when we met again in life. Tell me, does someone's past completely make them irredeemable? I know Bad People the way you describe them, as if they are completely irredeemable, who have changed to become better people. So I am with Simon, having fancies does not make a person a Bad Person who can't be good. I know you don't like labels and tiny square boxes, so please think about that and see if you can't find in your own experience people who've behaved badly by you just for fun who later on changed and became better people and even appologised to you. Consider whether those people deserve to be called Bad and crossed out from life the way your text seems to imply.

Mark Reads : Mark Reads 'Equal Rites': Part 6

Mon, 14 Jul 2014 14:21:37 +0000

I get where you're going with your rant. There's a line in one of the books that racism isn't a thing in the Discworld because they're too busy with speciesism being a more prominent thing. Maybe you feel that a coloured person is being portrayed as a stereotype. I don't think I'd know much about that, but I believe it was made intentional, to show that same discrimination with opposite qualities. Also, words change their meaning overtime, like the other day I was hearing of how the inverted pink triangle that was given to homosexuals as a brand is now used by them as a sign of pride. I don't know if the word you're describing here went through that kind of conversion, but perhaps in some places it did even though it doesn't for you. I wouldn't know anymore. I live in a country where the national socialist party has just been made legal. The funny thing is, that was after gay marriage was legalized here.

Mark Reads : Mark Reads 'Equal Rites': Part 7

Thu, 19 Jun 2014 23:42:07 +0000

Now you see the true core of the book. Granny may be very difficult to convince because she must be certain of things to make them work, but once she sees the way, she won't stop until it's done. Esk is very lucky to have her as a mentor. The issue of misogyny is so well put here. You have to remember that wizards don't actually know anything about women (forbidden and all that from contact with women), or about people in general. They only know how to get their way, not how to understand people and here's a good example of that.

Mark Reads : Mark Reads 'Equal Rites': Part 6

Thu, 19 Jun 2014 21:41:28 +0000

You're still referring to Granny as Esk's grandmother. SHE'S NOT. Everyone calls Granny Granny because she's elder and she's been in the birth and deathbed of at least 3 generations already! It's a Title! It's like saying she's the Grand Witch! Don't you remember that Weatherwax never got married and doesn't hold with those sort of things?

Mark Reads : Mark Reads 'Equal Rites': Part 5

Thu, 19 Jun 2014 20:25:41 +0000

That's one interesting difference there between witches and wizards that's implied. Headology is the witch's weapon of choice, while "jometry", for giving it Granny's word that implies much book learning for her, is the wizard's weapon of choice. What does this mean? Here, it means that a witch can solve a problem or defeat an enemy by understanding the person, while a wizard will achieve the same thing by understanding and controlling his own power. In a case like this, with people trying to scam you, a wizard would actually be weak since his power lies in using magic to solve the problem once it's occured. A witch, on the other hand, will avoid the problem by seeing through the person before they can get the upper hand on you. This is what I understood here on what they were trying to do to Esk.

Mark Reads : Mark Reads 'Equal Rites': Part 4

Thu, 19 Jun 2014 19:34:34 +0000

You are getting in touch with the theme of the book, with what makes witches and wizards different and what Granny mean by that. It was also said in the previous books about women not being able to be wizards for the reasons stated. It's about the mentality in the gender, or as Granny puts it, headology. You'll see what it means not just for Esk, but for all involved. I hope it'll remove the idea that this is a sexist theme in any way. Pratchett is taking it in a way that removes sexism, if you are willing to read it. Oh, and Esk isn't Granny's granddaughter. She has absolutely no relation to Esk.

Mark Reads : Mark Reads 'Equal Rites': Part 3

Fri, 6 Jun 2014 21:44:39 +0000

If you like it so far, you'll like it even more as it moves on. I hope you learn to love Granny as much as we do. A guy says Terry Pratchett writes science fiction in fantasy form, since many of his books deal more with the regular world than with magical things. Like here, with the differences between witches and wizards. Headology is a very good example of that, as well as jometry. Even if you don't know much about fantasy, you can always relate to Pratchett's themes since they are not fantastical at all, they're simply everyday things seen from a different angle to show them more distinctly.

Mark Reads : Mark Reads 'Equal Rites': Part 2

Fri, 6 Jun 2014 19:59:48 +0000

Granny is a very certain character. That about sums her up pretty well. Her certainty can level the Disc if smashed over it. It's her special skill and what's kept her alive all her life. She's one of my favourite characters, of course after Death.

Mark Reads : Mark Reads 'Equal Rites': Part 1

Fri, 6 Jun 2014 18:11:20 +0000

I don't understand why people who complain about stereotyping and deny them so vehemently can't be more open to different representations than the ones they believe in. If a person doesn't want to read this book because it pokes at those representations so pointedly, then they're probably not as open as they think they are. They are in themselves another kind of stereotype. The with or against policy is always so distasteful to me. There Can be more than 2 sides of an argument. Anyway, I just remembered those kind of people when you made that mention of shaking heads and closing books because they have representations. I'll stop talking now because I'm no one and don't know what I'm talking about. I'm putting that out there before someone else tells that to me. On another note, I know you will enjoy this ride through gender roles and lots of other Discworld folklore. Have fun!

Mark Reads : Mark Reads 'The Light Fantastic': Part 13

Fri, 6 Jun 2014 17:15:10 +0000

I did tell you to watch documentaries. I guess it's better this way, with you unaware of everything. It's so much more emotive like this. "but nothing he looks at is ever the same again. Including me, I suspect." What I thought of in this lines was simply that Rincewind was changed by the way Twoflower viewed him, which is absolutely true. Without Twoflower, Rincewind would never have been able to do all he did. Even the Lady knew that! In case you didn't notice her set ups there. And now the Big Question I've been dying to ask: will you watch The Colour of Magic miniseries now? I'm intrigued to know your opinion on the casting because I think it's great, although many people complain about it. That casting is what made me want to read Discworld. I found the idea of that representation of Rincewind to be extremely good for the circumstances. And also the actors are all terrific in their roles. So please! Watch it!

Mark Reads : Mark Reads 'The Light Fantastic': Part 12

Fri, 6 Jun 2014 16:36:38 +0000

It's a very action packed section and it's great! Poor Rincewind is at last able to express all his frustration at the right target. I also love the way they split the book for you, it's so fitting. I think perhaps the reason Lovecraft was able to create the worlds of terror he did was because he was, as you say, a completely and undeniably revolting racist. You need that kind of hatred to create the horrors he could create in the same way that you need a really disturbed mind like Poe's to create that sense of psychological dread and despair. So yes, I can readily believe he created the horror terrors by being a f*cking racist who could hate and despise anything, and most likely himself.

Mark Reads : Mark Reads 'The Light Fantastic': Part 11

Tue, 27 May 2014 18:35:47 +0000

I didn't remember that. HELP! A CALL TO ANY MOD OUT THERE! Can one of you rot13 the first part of the second sentence in my comment? By the time I realized what I had written it was too late to change.

Mark Reads : Mark Reads 'The Color of Magic': Part 14

Mon, 26 May 2014 23:17:42 +0000

I'm reading A Blink of the Screen, which is a new compilation of Pratchett's short fiction. Before each story, he explains as much as he can remember how he came to make that particular piece. In one of them, he said he made it after writing The Colour of Magic and he was very optimist in making a series out of it, but then The Colour of Magic came out and became so popular and he already had The Light Fantastic delineated in his mind so he put that little piece aside and focused on TLF, and the rest is history. PS: That little story is called The High Meggas and is now becoming a series written with Stephen Baxter.

Mark Reads : Mark Reads 'The Light Fantastic': Part 11

Mon, 26 May 2014 23:07:14 +0000

You have made my day and my next month at least!

Mark Reads : Mark Reads 'The Light Fantastic': Part 11

Mon, 26 May 2014 23:01:00 +0000

Mark, I found something to answer your 'left ear' query. Vg'f arire nqqerffrq va gur obbxf be va nsc ohg V sbhaq na vafgnapr jvgu na rkcynangvba va bar bs Greel Cengpurgg'f fubeg svpgvba jevgvatf. It's not related to the Discworld so I'll remove the names from the quote because they don't matter: [He] was a left-ear person. He had seen plenty of them: their eyes glazed slightly and they stared fixedly at your left ear, while their mouths spouted the truth about flying saucers, the great world conspiracy, or one-born-every-minute evangelism. Inside everyone was a left-ear person waiting to get out.