Where No One Has Profited Before

Conditions: Moist, not cold

Game Changer

With the first private industry spacecraft docking with space station alpha, this looks to unleash a new era of space faring.

Private industry has been interwoven with space exploration since the first missions left the launch pad more than half a century ago, but the SpaceX mission changes how space is done.

Before, Nasa designed rockets and paid companies to build them, at almost any cost, and paid a hefty profit on top. SpaceX and other private companies do not have this luxury.

The job of running routine flights to low Earth orbit, to resupply the Space Station, and ultimately to ferry astronauts back and forth, is steadily being handed over to industry, which must innovate, design and test their products in a competitive marketplace.
[...]

Nasa has so far paid $381m to SpaceX, but the contract for at least a dozen resupply missions could be worth $1.6bn to the firm. In return, SpaceX claims it can reduce today's market rate per launch from around $150m to just $55m.

SpaceX has made history in docking with the Space Station, but other companies, including Virginia-based Orbital Sciences expect to launch their own resupply missions within six months.

- guardian.co.uk/science

Is competitive industry the right element to be operating in the realm of space craft? No, it is not. Because the point of competitive industry is to make a profit. The point of a government agency is to get a particular job done. So the government agency is less likely to squeeze safety margins in order to please the stock holders. However, that attitude leads to massive unsustainable budgets, which is why we've ended up with competitive industry taking over. So exactly how long is it going to be before we get an unsafe situation caused by profit concerns?



Film Review: Man On A Ledge

A good thriller movie is hard. Especially in this day and age. You gotta have a really solid twisty plot, that you don't give away in the trailer, and have a really solid cast that you can empathize with as they fall deeper into the maze, and a director who can properly craft a movie that obscures the plot so that the audience is "thrilled". Sadly, Man on a Ledge falls short on these terms. It's not really all that thrilling. You really don't have any empathy for the characters. And you can really see the plot twists coming from a mile away.

Sam Worthington is the lead here, playing a cop who is convicted of stealing a diamond and sentenced to 25 years in the hoosegow. Of course we all know that he's innocent, and so it's no real surprise to watch him escaping custody and setting up a heist where he distracts the police by pretending to want to jump off a building, while his team break into the next door vault of the guy who's got the diamond (Ed Harris - looking very scarily old). Basically, it's just up to us to figure out which two cops are the corrupt ones, sadly not a particularly difficult challenge.

This movie just doesn't really spark. It rolls along pleasantly, the heist itself is mostly fun to watch, the shots of New York from above are nice, there's some OK scenes between Worthington and Elizabeth Banks (playing the lead police negotiator). But where's the actual tension? Where's the uncertainty? Where are the twists and turns? Somehow they're just not there. We know Sam's not going to jump off the building. We know Ed still has the diamond. We know there's a couple of corrupt cops in the mix. We even know that when you cast Bill Sadler as a hotel clerk, he's not actually just a hotel clerk. So we're really just waiting for the movie to get to the end, where the important bits will get wrapped up. Two sensors out of five.


- Peace out

Enter the Heart of Darkness

Conditions: Nice

The Quest for Justice
So what is to be done with the people left in Guantanamo bay, those who allegedly were behind the attacks of 9/11?  A military tribunal has been bright into being to try and untangle the mess created over the last ten years.  But the first day of this tribunal dragged into a farce of garbled legalese, messed up translations, and uncertainty over the process that has been mapped out for the accused.

As the day progressed and the drama unfolded, I began to understand that military commissions were created as an accommodation intending to serve some fictitious justice. With New York City unwilling to accommodate trying the accused in federal court and Congress acting to block trials of detainees within the US, some other type of "justice" had to be created, developed, invented even, to serve as a judicial process - due or otherwise.

While Judge Pohl appeared to have used extreme deference to the accused, it was perceived by some as a show. And, ultimately, perhaps the fact that the proceedings were scripted is quite fitting, as it felt more like an exhibition rather than an arraignment. The actors talked out of turn, the costumes were not quite right and the judge was being ignored. As an attorney, what I perceived in Judge Pohl's courtroom during the arraignment was not a court proceeding with which I could identify. But perhaps this is the result military commissions are intended to produce? Perhaps this is all meant to give the perception of justice under the United States Constitution under the guise of some other system of (un)justness?

It is unclear whether the Marbury v. Madison of military commissions is unfolding before our eyes, or if this will become a historical blemish on our system of justice. Either way, my sense of fairness and balance has been thrown at this critical and pivotal moment in history. This alternative, born of seeming necessity, makes many of us uncomfortable and uneasy, but indeed we are resistant for a reason - we've had a successful federal judicial system in place for centuries and chose not to use it in this instance. Whether this is the most effective way to handle "justice" for the detainees remaining at Guantanamo Bay remains to be seen. But at the end of the day, will this merely be looked upon as a spectacle?

- truth-out.org/news/

This is important, and historic.  The civilised America is going to find these men guilty of something, likely as a capital crime.  So the way it is done is going to come under very close scrutiny.  After all that has happened, after all the mistakes that have been made, how will the legal status get from where they are now to justice being served?



Film Review: Predator

At first we sat patiently in the theatre as the start time came and went.  Five minutes passed, then ten.  The crowd got a little louder, a little rowdier.  Fifteen minutes passed, and we bagan to mutter, to worry that maybe there was a problem.  Maybe Predator wasn't going to be shown after all, maybe something had gone wrong and all our anticipation was for nothing.  But then finally, finally the lights dimmed and the blue-ray logo popped up.  Finally, we were going to get to see Predator on the big screen!

"You know whoever got you, they're gonna come back again and when they do I'm gonna cut your name right into 'em. 

...I'm gonna cut your naaaaaame into 'em."

Some films are like they have always existed.  Like they were just there, in the atmosphere, untill someone committed them to a recording device of some kind so we could all enjoy them with surround sound.  Predator is one of these films, something more like a legendary tale than a movie.  It's not a complicated story.  A special team of soldiers are lied to by their superiors and sent on an assasination mission into the primeval jungle.  Once there they realise that they themselves are being hunted one by one.  It's up to them to try to confront their true enemy, and survive.  Directed by the great John McTiernan, Predator is a triumph of atmosphere and attitude.  A savage movie, to be sure, but one brilliantly and carefully crafted, like a sword made out of crystal.

"There's something out there waiting for us.  And it ain't no man.  We're all gonna die."

The jungle closes in around you, the noises and sights as familiar now as my own living room.  Dutch and Dillon, Billy, Mac and Blaine, Poncho, Hawkins and Anna.  I could recite the dialogue from memory.  But watching on a big screen, in true surround sound, makes it even more real than ever.  All the little details stand out with even greater clarity, all the moments are even better defined.  The audience laughing and clapping, and cheering us on.  And that fantastic score, a triumph from Alan Silvestri, blasting away.  I loved every moment.  Five guns out of five.

"We found them sometimes without their skin.  And sometimes... much, much worse.  'El cazador que hace trofeos de los hombres' means 'the demon who makes trophies of man'."



- Peace out

Bringing the Party To You

Conditions: Nice

Playing It Up

By announcing in his latest speech that he was against gay marriage, Mitt romney has declared the foundation for the upcoming presidential election: Gay rights.

In a speech at conservative Christian Liberty University - where it is taught that Mormonism is a cult - Romney stressed their common goal of service to God and declared his opposition to gay marriage, a position essential for winning the majority of evangelicals in November.
"People of different faiths like yours and mine, sometimes wonder where we can meet in common purpose, when there are so many differences in creed and theology," the presumptive Republican nominee said in a commencement speech, addressing his Mormon faith.

"Surely the answer is that we can meet in service, in shared moral convictions about our nation stemming from a common worldview," said Romney to warm applause. Mormons, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, view themselves as Christians.
Romney went right at the latest hot-button issue, bringing much of the audience to its feet in cheers by declaring: "Marriage is a relationship between one man and one woman."

- whtc.com/news/

A lot of pundits think that by endorsing gay rights to marriage, Obama may have offended a large amount of voters. And that is true, but the technicality is that those voters who are offended weren't actually going to vote for Obama anyway. So with most of America warming up to the idea of gay people being married, like non-gay people, the danger for Romney is that in pleasing his base, he may well be isolating himself from the larger voting block.


Film Review: The Avengers

The idea makes some sense, you take a bunch of comic book heroes and team them up together to take on some kind of mighty foe.  I don't know if it makes financial sense, since surely six movies about a superhero would make more money than one film about six superheros, but bear in mind Marvel have already done the groundwork by having a series of movies over the last couple of years for pretty much each of the superheros.  So here we are, with the Avengers.  Having that many guys in the room requires a fair amount of time for introductions and preparation, not to mention butting heads and working out priorities, and then basically a big action sequence, set in New York of course, to finish off.

The plot of this movie is, I guess unsurprisingly, ridiculous and paper-thin.  What little of it there is is concerned with Loki, Thor's brother, being given an army and coming to Earth to try and take us over.  Shield, the agency put together to oppose threats like this, then call up the various superheroes to get them to work together against Loki.  The strength of this movie lies not in the plot hoever, but in the great casting, snappy dialogue, and fantastic action sequences that have been put together.  Robert Downey Jr, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansen, Chris Evans, well the cast goes on and on, each is ideally cast are as their respective superheroes.  Team that with a script literally packed with witty dialogue and in-jokes, that still gives each of the characters moments of seriousness, and you end up with a very entertaining film.

Written and directed by Joss Whedon, this film really is a triumph of popcorn entertainment.  Light, fun and straightforward, it seamlessly juggles a bunch of heavy weights and a series of huge setpeice battles with the time and grace to include a bunch of memorable quips and moments for all.  Given the nature of what Marvel is doing, what we're seeing is a new scale for movies: cross over films where characters pop up in each others movies, punctuated every now and then with a big film where they all come together.  It's a brave plan, and I think Marvel have set the stage and started themselves off very well.  However, my only note of concern is, with so many characters to deal with, does plot and character development get essentially shoved aside in the face of keeping everyone entertained with so many characters?  So far I feel the answer is yes, which while understandable from a technical point of view, is something that I hope they can address for the next one.  Four smashes out of five.


- Peace out

Crimes and War Crimes

Conditions: Ominous

Doing Something


Drone Strikes have been back in the news lately. Mostly because White House counterterrorism adviser John Brennan made some public statements about the secretive U.S use of Drones in it's everlasting war on terror.

“So let me say it as simply as I can,” Brennan said in a speech at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington. “Yes, in full accordance with the law — and in order to prevent terrorist attacks on the United States and to save American lives — the United States government conducts targeted strikes against specific al-Qaeda terrorists, sometimes using remotely piloted aircraft, often referred to publicly as drones.”

Brennan’s speech was also noteworthy, however, for what he withheld. He did not disclose how many people have been killed, list all the locations where armed drones are being flown or mention the administration’s increasing reliance on “signature” strikes, which allow the CIA to fire missiles even when it doesn’t know the identities of those who could be killed.
[...]

Obama has been accused in recent days of seeking to exploit for political gain the killing of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in a U.S. Special Operations raid a year ago. The president responded to the criticism during a White House news conference Monday, saying, “I hardly think that you’ve seen any excessive celebration taking place here.”

- washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/

I find it interesting that the law can be used when discussing drone strikes where most of the time the people being killed or maimed aren't known. The Bin Laden raid is another issue, where a man wanted by the world for his crimes was essentially shot in the back by a SEAL team, and dumped in the ocean. How can any of this be legal? How can any of it be justice? Do we even care about justice any more? Or is it simply that something is needed to be seen to be done, in order for the American People to be able to sleep at night? And if so, what happens when this ongoing state-sanctioned drone-based assasination op is no longer enough?

- More


Film Review: The Raid

The Raid is about a police swat team attacking a high-rise building that is under control by a drug kingpin. Naturally, everything goes to hell and it turns into a total bloodbath. Once the bullets have run out it becomes an astonishingly fast and brutal series of fights for the remaining cops to try and get out alive. Now that sounds like a recipe for a fairly routine chop-socky kind of fight movie, maybe starring Jackie Chan or something. But actually, and remarkably, The Raid really does focus on itt's characters and provides drama and tension to all the mayhem.

The Leutenant is actually a bad guy who's set this raid up off the books. The Rookie cop actually knows one of the right hand men of the drug lord. And the drug lord was essentailly expecting them. Paff, Bang, Pow, Crunch! As the movie progresses the fight sequences get even more elaborate and, frankly, incredible. At some points it becomes difficult to believe humans can actually do these things, or that every stuntman on this film wasn't killed at some point. It really is furiously amazing, and a credit to the filmakers, the coordinators and the stunt guys.

As wierd as it sounds, I also felt the acting in between the fights was really good as well, with the Swat characters deperatly trying to survive, and the henchmen positioning themselves in the boss's eyes. I guess you don't go to a fight movie for the acting, but this one has it all the same. Consider it the icing on a particularly hard core cake. It won't be to everyone's taste, but what it does it does very well. Three punches out of five.


Film Review: Battleship

Yes, I know. A particularly stupid film very much in the vein of the Transformers franchise, Battleship puts forward a plot whereby a project in Hawaii to send messages out to an Earth-like planet somewhat backfires when an Alien invasion force subsequently arrives with a fleet of four massive attack ships and, as one of the President's men adorably describes it, a "telephone ship" that happens to collide with one of our sattelites, carreers out of control and crashes into Hong King. Typical. You fly hundreds of light years across the galaxy, only to get wiped out when pulling into the driveway. With their telephone ship busted, the Aliens then decide to take over our space signalling project in order to ...order some space-pizza? ...update their facebook status to 'pissed'? ...call for backup? Who knows, certainly not the film that seems to have exhausted it's plot by the time it gets to that point.

Anyway, the point is that Taylor Kitsch is playing a screwup younger brother serving as a lowly officer on a Navy destroyer that is taking part in some wargames in, you guessed it, Hawaii when the shit hits the fan. With the rest of the fleet blocked from being able to do anything due to a giant force field (and with apparently no submarines anywhere in the Pacific ocean to call upon for help), it's up to Kitsch to save the day. Now, going up against three giant space battleships with one normal sea-based destroyer seems stupid. And it is stupid. But it is helped by the somewhat unpredictable battle tactics of the aliens who can easily destroy anything they want, unless that thing decides to turn and sail away. Also, apparently the aliens don't like sunlight. Yeah.

I'll say this for the film, as aggressivly stupid and loud as it is, it's all about empowering and respecting down and out humans. One of the main heroes doesn't have any legs. Kitch's character has some major personality defects for an officer. And the finale features an old battleship pulled out of mothballs, complete with it's original octogenarian crew, steaming out (with, I believe, actual steam) to take on the mothership. It's loud, it's stupid, it's patriotic, it's a giant navy recruitment video, there's even some good bits in it, mostly including cannon broadsides. I think in the end you just shake your head and stagger out of the cinema for a well-earned drink. Two spiky beards out of five.


- Peace out