Category: Media

This is a container category for media reviews and related drivel.

  • When The Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi

    But what if the moon really was made of cheese?

    That’s an absurd premise, indeed. When you stop to think about it, though, most of the “what if” ideas that launch us into science fiction stories are absurd. We’re probably never getting to travel to whatever point in the past or future we want to at the press of a button. We’re probably not going to hurtle through interplanetary space at speeds above that achieved by photons of light. And so on. While many “what if” stories dig into the technical mechanics of the thing, they usually also shine a light on what people would (or at least might) do when faced with this new element in society. What might time travel or FTL space travel do to “us”? Oh, and make sure to include some actual-science-y stuff because those nerdy details are fun to speculate about, of course.

    But what if we threw out any need to dig into the high-tech gee-whiz of it all and replaced that aspect with… well, Cheez Whiz?

    Cover artwork for the John Scalzi novel, "When The Moon Hits Your Eye", consisting mostly of the author name and title above an illustration of a space-suited astronaut standing on a rounded surface made of cheese.

    What we’re left with is the human angle, and that’s what this novel is all about.

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  • Winter Anime 2025 (Nearly Over)

    A couple months ago I noted some shows that had caught my interest. Now that the season’s almost complete I have some additional thoughts to jot down about a few of them.

    Anime screenshot: Alina from "I May Be A Guild Receptionist But I'll Solo Any Boss To Clock Out On Time" in her work uniform.

    The news is mostly good. But only mostly.

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  • Satisfactory: Spiraling Into Control

    To be clear: There are videos on YouTube which can show you how to do this, but I don’t like scrolling back and forth through a video to tease out the details of a process. If you’re like me in that regard, here’s a tutorial for making a single-track train spiral structure in Satisfactory.

    Satisfactory video game screenshot: In the desert, a railway spiral to nowhere stands in mute testament to the author's desire to craft a proper tutorial document.

    Note that you can (and should) play around with materials and other design elements. Maybe you want sign-based lighting on yours? Sweet, go for it!

    Let’s get started.

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  • Macross Delta at Not Quite The Midpoint

    A friend showed the first episode of franchise installment Macross Delta during “anime night” some time ago and I thought, hey, I should buy this on Blu Ray. So I did. And I’m working my way through the series… slowly. A couple episodes at a time.

    Because that’s about all I can really take, honestly.

    Please welcome your standard-issue flyboy protagonist with dangerously unkempt hair, everyone.

    I’m eleven episodes in. I have some thoughts.

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  • Warframe: The New War

    An Aging Game-Player’s Perspective

    Warframe video game screenshot: Inside a futuristic spaceship, a Warframe decked out in bright colors stands in profile. Nearby, a shaggy dog-like creature observes attentively.

    I just finished Warframe’s “The New War,” the monumental game-changing quest from a few years ago. I don’t have all that many thoughts, but I have some:

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  • Space Ninjas… Again

    Early last year we finished up our long-running family game session of Satisfactory, and as a follow-up we decided to give Warframe a try. Out of the three of us, Spud (my son) is the top-tier expert with all the goodies and lore and know-how. Nyx (my daughter) was a dabbler who had played the game a bit but didn’t have a lot of equipment, let alone much of the star chart (playable locations) unlocked.

    Me? I was somewhere in the middle. I’ve played the game off and on for years, giving up a few years ago when I realized I was never going to have the kind of skill at navigating 3D space in a looter-shooter game that it takes to really tackle serious challenges. But… given a dedicated team to run with, maybe I could manage to at least pull my weight more often than not? I agreed to try it out.

    And now, here we are, months later.

    Warframe video game screenshot: The "Xaku" frame painted in bright, clashing colors and sporting big feathery wings for no particularly good reason other than "it looks kind of neat."

    I admit, the game’s grown on me… with certain provisos.

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