Balladeer’s Blog’s Give Them A Shoutout Before They’re Dead strikes again with the old Duran Duran song The Reflex.
Tag Archives: blogging
THE WRECK OF A WORLD (1889): ANCIENT SCIENCE FICTION
THE WRECK OF A WORLD (1889) – Written by W. Grove. (No other name available) This novel is the sequel to Grove’s A Mexican Mystery, an ahead-of-its-time work about a train engine devised to have artificial intelligence. The machine – called only The Engine in that story – rebelled and took to preying on human beings in horrific fashion. For Balladeer’s Blog’s review of that novel click HERE
The Wreck of a World is not a direct sequel to A Mexican Mystery but does use one of that novel’s elements as its springboard: the deliciously frightening notion that the Engine’s artificial intelligence might have included the capacity to design and build others of its kind. Though A Mexican Mystery never explored that concept, Grove deals with it in much more detail in this second novel.
Our story begins in what was to Grove “the far future” of 1949. After a fairly superficial depiction of the world’s political and scientific situation in this imaginary future the meat of the tale begins. All in all the author did not present 1940s technology as being much more advanced than what was available in the 1880s. Grove might have done better to set his tale in 1899 or just into the 1900s to detract from his lack of vision on this particular element.
The revolt of the machines begins with train engines, presumably as a nod to the memorably malevolent Engine from Grove’s previous novel. The engines begin constructing others of their kind with the same robotic arms and with each new edition flaunting deadlier and deadlier weaponry to boot.
The engines soon modify themselves beyond the need for train tracks and become more like tanks, so kudos to this neglected author for nicely predicting the advent of such mobile death-machines. Continue reading
Filed under Ancient Science Fiction
USCAA COLLEGE BASEBALL WORLD SERIES TEAMS FOR 2018
It’s less than a week until the start of the 2018 College World Series in the USCAA (United States Collegiate Athletic Association). Balladeer’s Blog will, as usual, provide full coverage. Here is a look at the field of 10 teams competing for the title.
ONE SEED
Institution: UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI AT CLERMONT
Team Name: COUGARS
TWO SEED
Institution: NEWPORT NEWS APPRENTICE SCHOOL
Team Name: BUILDERS
*
THREE SEED
Institution: WRIGHT STATE AT THE LAKE CAMPUS
Team Name: LAKERS
FOUR SEED
Institution: BLUEFIELD STATE
Team Name: BIG BLUES
*
FIVE SEED
Institution: CLEARY UNIVERSITY
Team Name: PROWLING COUGARS
Filed under College Baseball
TANGAHAU, A FIGURE FROM BEL-REN MYTHOLOGY
Balladeer’s Blog’s look at the gods and myths of Bellona and Rennell Islands has proven very popular as a sub-category of Polynesian myths. (CLICK HERE )
TANGAHAU – In my opinion Tangahau is more like an Odysseus of Bellona and Rennell Islands than Takitaki (covered previously). However, Tangahau’s reputation as a wanderer originally from the Duff Islands seems to tip the balance to Takitaki. Here’s a brief look at Tangahau’s cycle of myths.
If there is enough interest I will do one of my exhaustively detailed examinations, like with Nayanazgeni in Navajo myths, Pele and Hi’iaka from Hawaiian myths, Mwindo from Africa or Baybayan from the Philippines and so many others that I’ve covered.
I) On Taumako Island, Tangahau, a sea captain renowned for his raids on many islands, was preparing for another voyage. The young bachelor’s mother was crying and rending her ears in sorrow since she knew every one of his dangerous journeys might be his last.
II) Tangahau and his crew, which included the priest Nasiu and his son, set out and eventually passed between two flaming islands which Nasiu warned were one of the entrances to the realm of the dead. (Rationalizations of the flaming islands of this tale attribute them to volcanic activity during the early stages of island formation.)
III) Next the voyagers spotted Rennell Island off in the distance. Like many ancient mariners they at first mistook it for an enormous whale. As they drew closer, they spotted Mount Gugha and realized their mistake. They determined to stop and mount a raid. Continue reading
Filed under Mythology
COLLEGE BASEBALL: MORE CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT CHAMPS
APPALACHIAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE: CHAMPIONSHIP GAME – It took SIXTEEN Innings for a winner to be determined in the clash between the two teams still standing in the AAC. Those two teams were the 4 seeds – the POINT UNIVERSITY SKYHAWKS – and the 2nd seeded TENNESSEE WESLEYAN COLLEGE BULLDOGS.
After a scoreless 1st Inning the Bulldogs grabbed a 2-0 lead in the 2nd, which remained unchanged until the Skyhawks went on top 4-2 in the 5th. Tennessee Wesleyan hits in the 7th and 8th Innings knotted things up at 4-4 and, as I stated at the top, that deadlock lingered until the 16th Inning, when Point University won it 6-5. Pitcher Garrett Brown logged the W. * THE SKYHAWKS ARE CHAMPIONS OF THE AAC TOURNAMENT * Continue reading
Filed under College Baseball
SIX DAYS LEFT FOR SUBMISSIONS: ASIAN ACADEMIC RESEARCH JOURNAL
Submissions for the next on-line edition are being accepted through May 13th.
Papers can be submitted under the following areas. (Social Sciences, Humanities, Commerce & Management, Engineering & Technology, Medicine, Cultural Studies, Sciences, Art & Development Studies).
UGC Approved International Journal Continue reading
Filed under Neglected History
THE TIMES’ SONG “I HELPED PATRICK MCGOOHAN ESCAPE”
Balladeer’s Blog’s Give Them A Shoutout Before They’re Dead strikes again with this tie-in to my ongoing examination of Patrick McGoohan’s science fiction/ existential drama The Prisoner. The video is quintessential 1980s cultural kitsch and was filmed at the Portmeirion Resort for Village authenticity.
Filed under opinion, Prisoner (tv series)
STAR WARS MEETS GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: THE MICRONAUTS
May the 4th live long and prosper … or something or other.
With this Star Wars festival rolling around once again, I figured a look at The Micronauts would be appropriate.
The Micronauts was one of those oddly-conceived Marvel Comics titles from the late 70s and early 80s that were about forcing a continuing storyline around an already-existing toy franchise. (Rom: Spaceknight was another example of this ultimate in ass-backward storytelling.)
And a young Joel Schumacher mused “Nipples on black armor, eh? Hmmmmm.”
The above example of Six Degrees of George Lucas or whatever you want to call it was just my odd way of pointing out my reasoning for posting this item on the 4th of May.
The Micronauts (First Issue: January 1979) was mostly a strained imitation of the Star Wars universe but also had a few similarities with Marvel’s ORIGINAL Guardians of the Galaxy. Those Guardians – Vance Astro, Charley-27, Yondu and Martinex – were freedom fighters waging a guerilla war to free 30th Century Earth from the dictatorial rule of its alien conquerors, the lizardlike Badoon race.
The Micronauts was set in the Microverse (now called the Quantum Realm), a sub-atomic universe which was being ruled by the evil, black-armored Baron Karza, one of the most blatant Darth Vader ripoffs this side of Japan’s Swords of the Space Ark movies. Karza could detach his arms and legs and could transform the lower half of his body into that of a black horse (think of Centaurs) for no better reason than the fact that THAT was the gimmick of the Baron Karza toys. Kids could move around the arms and legs or replace his regular body with the horse-like lower body. Oh what fun! (?) Continue reading
Filed under Superheroes
THE PRISONER (1967): DANCE OF THE DEAD
Balladeer’s Blog continues its examination of the science fiction/ existential drama The Prisoner. For Part One, in which I examined the themes and concepts at play in the series click HERE
Episode Title: DANCE OF THE DEAD
In the eternally-open debate about the exact order of the 17 episodes of The Prisoner I unashamedly hold with those who place Dance of the Dead as Episode Two. My main reason is the fact that the Prisoner himself and other characters bluntly state he is new to the Village.
Plus this episode features him betraying so much lack of awareness of the Villagekeepers’ Head Games and their placement of cameras everywhere that to me Dance of the Dead only makes sense coming immediately after the first episode, Arrival.
Mary Morris as this episode’s Number Two is one of the most memorable Number Twos in the rotating series of those Village executives. As we all know Trevor Howard was originally slated for this episode but Morris is a more than welcome change.
The title is perfect for anyone with the Prisoner mindset. So-called “mainstream society”, including its bizarre rituals which so many willingly and mindlessly play along with, truly is a Dance of the Dead. Today Facebook and Twitter and social media in general take the whole concept beyond the point of parody.
To me part of the argument for placing Dance of the Dead as Episode Two comes from the way it embodies the television industry problem called Second Episode Blues in which a strong opening episode is often followed by one that is a bit aimless compared to that debut.
Dance of the Dead‘s storyline – fragmented though it may seem – features a nice selection of elements that show up in various combinations in nearly every subsequent Prisoner episode:
“THIS MAN HAS A FUTURE WITH US” – On the literal level it IS true that a talented former Intelligence Agent like Number Six could be an asset to the conspirators behind the Village.
On the allegorical level, the leadership in even the most conformist and oppressive societies stays on the lookout for capable recruits. It’s often the most efficient way of co-opting individuals whose abilities might otherwise lead them to establish rebellions. The Powers That Be can even dangle the carrot of certain privileges not enjoyed by the rest of the population as an added incentive for talented individuals, enticing them to sell out and come over to the side of the ruling class. Continue reading
Filed under Forgotten Television, Prisoner (tv series)
COLLEGE BASEBALL POSTSEASON TOURNAMENTS CONTINUE
AMERICAN MIDWEST CONFERENCE – The 5th seeded WILLIAM WOODS UNIVERSITY OWLS faced the 4 seeds – the COLUMBIA (MO) COLLEGE COUGARS. After 3 scoreless Innings the Owls went up 2, 3 and 4-0 in the 4th, 5th and 6th Innings, respectively. From there they added one more run for a 5-0 shutout.
The rest of the day in this Conference Tournament was all chalk: the top seeds – the LYON COLLEGE SCOTS, defeated the 8th seeded CENTRAL BAPTIST COLLEGE MUSTANGS 5-2 … The (2) FREED HARDEMAN UNIVERSITY LIONS mauled the (7) LINDENWOOD UNIVERSITY AT BELLEVILLE LYNX by a score of ELEVEN to ONE … And the (3) MISSOURI BAPTIST UNIVERSITY SPARTANS survived a tight 4-3 clash with the (6) HARRIS-STOWE STATE HORNETS. Continue reading
Filed under College Baseball
