The Iron Council - China Mieville's third novel set in his New Crobuzon universe ("Perdido Street Station", "The Scar") is a disappointment. The imagination is there and it has a grand concept - radicals seeking to loosen the corrupt grip of the Mayor of the city-state of New Crobuzontry to call back a legendary group of railworkers who literally stole an entire railroad, building it into a hitherto impassable wasteland - however it churns underneath a strident (albeit a made-up form) socialism. Every character is a freedom-fighter whose inner conflict appears restricted to how extreme they are in the parallel struggles against New Crobuzon. I enjoyed reading the grand battles, the wonderfully arcane creatures and sorcery that melds with the steampunkish atmosphere. However, "Iron Council" never arrives and it has to be said that the ending is a let down.

Shooting locks with guns debunked
Ever wonder if you can shoot a lock off with a gun like in the movies? Can it be done? The answer: use a shotgun. This page tests various weapons on a standard key padlock and finds that shooting them straight on like they do in the movies with a pistol won't do anything except freeze them so even a key won't work. However, a shotgun blows it to pieces.

In a rapid development last week a bunch of former WEFugee forums decided to band together and escape the clutches of Delphi and move to a Beehive forum hosted independently. Among them - my current events forum. Okay, let me start again. Three years ago I created a Delphi Forum called New Medievalism: Current affairs in the new medieval age which became an outlet for my obsessive news junkie behaviour. All that's happened is that now we are hosted somewhere else and membership is by donation whereas before if you wanted to read it, you had to be a member of Delphi, a community forums developer that hasn't upgraded its software for some time. The further good news is that the interface is largely the same (open source) and now we don't have to keep to any of Delphi's ridiculous terms of service. Of course, if you would rather lurk, you may read the forum as a guest. Go here >>

This is a film project that is sounding better and better. Today, Dark Horizons reports that David Bowie will play Nicola Tesla in the adaptation of Christopher Priest's "The Prestige", to be directed by another Christopher, Chris "Batman Begins" Nolan. "The Prestige" (1986) is the great novel about a feud between two stage magicians set in turn of the century England. A misimagined slight leads each magician to try and outdo the other in magical acts that become increasingly complex and dangerous. Finally, one of them seeks the help of Nicola Tesla to aid in the mechanism behind his ultimate trick. I highly recommend the book.

Rubicon: the Last Years of the Roman Republic - A fantastic and thrilling history of the last years of the Roman Republic. While most are at least familiar with the controversies around why the Roman Empire fell, writer Tom Holland has examined the roots of the downfall of the Republic. First he establishes the foundations of the idea of the Republic - a state ruled by its citizens - a political construction that sought to protect citizens from tyranny - and then carefully brings out the roots of its collapse. "Rubicon" begins with the conflict between Sulla and Marius and ends with the death of Augustus Caesar. Holland's writing and the pace of the book make understanding all of this a breeze. He aids the reader's understanding by choosing to follow the careers of the famed (and at times obscure) figures who presided over the collapse of the Republic: Julius Caesar, Cicero, Cato, Crassus, Octavian, Mark Antony, Pompey, Sulla and Marius as well as lesser known figures such as Caelius, Clodius, Domitius, Brutus and Catalus. This narrative device conveniently follows one of the themes of the book - how the careerism of the Roman politician combined with the opening up of immense founts of power and wealth as Rome itself expanded its boundaries - tore apart the careful checks and balances of the Republic, thereby making tyranny the only logical end. As one reads this one can't help but draw parallels between the death of Rome's 'democracy' and today's events in the United States.

HBO: "Rome" season finishing up
It's no coincidence that I picked up "Rubicon" as my most recent history read as I've been following HBO and the BBC's mega series "Rome". For a history nerd "Rome" is the ultimate fantasy - a big budget rendering of an ancient age. After ten episodes (the final episode is this Sunday) my conclusion is that this is the best compromise between watchability and substance. The previous expensive collaboration between HBO and the BBC was "The Band of Brothers" which probably did a better job of drama as it concentrated on a single unit in WWII. "Rome", on the other hand has struggled at times to maintain a balance between showing the political machinations of the Roman elite and the more pleasing story of the two unlikely protagonists of the show, the soldiers Lucius Verenus and Titus Pullo - the 'downstairs' story if you will. The look, the flavour of the show is admirable and its sometimes extreme graphic depths - the last episode had a brauvura gladiatorial battle in all its gory glory - can wake you up, however it hasn't done quite as good a job making the audience care much for the 'upstairs' story. Why do we care who Attiia is fucking? Why are people opposing Caesar? The actions are there, but the motivation is not clear (unless you have "Rubicon" at hand). Still, I'm there for next season. I'm curious how the show will progress after its main character, Caesar,, becomes a casualty if history.

Jarhead - Although I had been forewarned that Jarhead was much more of a 'slice of life' movie than a war movie, I didn't expect such a lifeless, inconsequential film as "Jarhead" about one Marine's experience mostly waiting for the first Iraqi war to begin in the summer of 1991. It had a great pedigree coming from an acclaimed book by Antony Swofford, directed by "American Beauty's" Sam Mendes and edited by Walter Murch, but I left the theatre much more aware of the passage of time than with any emotional impression at all. Not having read the book, I struggled to find a theme. The filmmakers seem to tease at events of significance that fail to resonate.

This CBC article begins by reviewing "Dark Hours" a new Canadian thriller in which a psychologist and her boyfriend are terrorized by a former patient and his unbalanaced friend but then goes on to provide a short history of Canadian suspense thrillers (and outright gorefests) that are set in single rooms or limited locations. The article also references Vincenzo Natali's "Cube", "Dead Ringers" and "Ginger Snaps".

Pride and Prejudice (2005) - I'm no Jane Austen fan but judging by the response at Saturday's screening of the newest Pride and Prejudice adaptation there are no shortage of Austen acolytes in Vancouver. In any case, Austen's tale of a sharp-tongued elder daughter of a noble but poor family full of marriagable girls was just the right movie for my mood. Kiera Knightely and the entire cast was good. I was surprised to see Donald Sutherland as a loveable but beset father in a house of women. Director Joe Wright and writer Deobrah Moggach have struck the right balance between humour and melodrama. Mostly Pride and Prejudice is very fun from the opening major ball scene and the seemingly endless supply of giggling young girls. Normally I would never use the word but 'splendid' seems to fit.

My birthday
Direct me well wishes. I am fast approaching middle age. That thought gave me some stress as well as the realization that my maturing mind - as far as scheduling goes - tripped me up today. I realized I had missed almost half of the classes for this writing class I had signed up for. I seem to be learning somewhat expensive lessons this past year.

I went through the pain of reauthorizing my bank card this weekend after stopping for a cash influx and being informed by the machine that my card had been delisted for security concerns. A phone call and a bank visit later got my card reauthorized with brand new PIN number.

Although they don't say specifically what had happened (and it doesn't appear that any unauthorized withdrawal was made) they did mention that usually they delist a number of cards when a large scam is detected or uncovered. This month a good friend of mine had the same thing happen to him. PIN number scams are becoming more common now and certainly less complicated for the thief than counterfeiting. Canadians are in love with debit cards, making us a prime target for such scammers (Globetechnology.com: "Are debit cards safe?").

Commonly the way they get your PIN is by double-swiping your card. Here is a good site describing common methods of plastic fraud and methods to counter them. Either the debit card reader is fake or your entering the pin is recorded by the clerk or a camera. What this incident has taught me is to use cash at places which you aren't likely to visit again such as restaurants or corner stores. I'm wondering if that applies to gas stations too. Ironically, because I was out of cash, I had to resort to using my credit card at a number of places! The most annoying thing about this incident is that my bank again didn't try too hard to contact me to inform me that my bank card was deactivated.

A History of Violence - David Cronenberg's adaptation of a graphic novel in which a family man living an idyllic mid-west life in a small town is cased by Mafia hoodlums after he gains national attention by killing two men trying to rob his diner. The acts of violence are indeed shocking but more interesting is Cronenberg's efficient and spare direction. Good performances by Viggo Mortensen, Ed Harris and William Hurt. It's a film in which the violence feels more real than the hero's cliched family life.

Serenity - The trailers don't lie. This is a big budget episode of Firefly for people who already know the short-lived Joss Whedon space adventure show. There is the trademark Whedoniffic funny dialogue, Buffy-quality stunts combined with one crunchy space battle. It has good adventure pacing so you never have time to see some of the not-so-pretty quality issues. Worth a matinee and definitely a rental.

The Algebraist - The latest science fiction novel from Iain M. Banks. This is a stand-alone novel that has nothing to do with his Culture universe but it shares the same quirky humour and is chock full of imagination. In the far future a scholar who is a local expert on communing with a long-lived gas-giant dwelling species is drafted into seeking the source for a legendary network of wormholes that may or may not exist. The same secret is sought by a bloodthirsty tyrant who is on his way to the scholar's system at the head of a massive armada. Somehow Banks makes the spectacle of a system-wide invasion fun while keeping the hunt for the secret engaging and humorous. There is a subplot of an industrialist and a past tragedy that comes back to haunt him that doesn't quite fit.

No More Tears Sister - A decent NFB documentary by Helene Klodawski retracing the career and life of assassinated Sri Lankan human rights activist Dr. Rajanai Thiriganama. Well-made and often beautiful, the film is a touching protrait of a young woman who became politically aware of social injustice even as a middle-class Tamil but then became disillusioned with the violence and brutal infighting in revolutionary Tamils seeking an autonomous homeland in Sinhalese dominated Sri Lanka. The story is told through interviews with her surviving relatives. Her own part is played by her daughter in dramatized flashbacks. Seen in the Amnesty International Film Festival.

In a year when vast human misery has been displayed on news every day now we are seeing for the past eleven days massive rioting in France. You know by now that it was sparked by the accidental electrocution of two immigrant boys who, fleeing police, had run into a nearby power substation but now we are all wondering what social conditions have further fuelled the wide ranging attacks on police, arson and nightly confrontations. Some believe it is due to the construction in the 60s of a series of ghettos that are far from work, amenities and are too densely packed. Read this article (English translation) about these ghettos. Of course the racial division will obviously be analyzed. Unlike Canada and the U.S. the French system of integration seeks to Gallicize all immigrants including their large influx of people from North Africa - a policy which al Jazeera critcicizes. Actually, now that I think of it the Michael Haneke movie I saw at the VIFF, Cache, commented on that implicitly. Is there something in the air?

This is an awesome beer commercial for Guinness by AMV BBDO. It starts in a London pub with three blokes quaffing Guinness and then it speedily travels backwards in time through human history and then back through the Ice Age to the very origins of life all within 30 seconds. The theme is "Good Things Come to Those Who Wait". A really great CG production and the Sammy Davis Jr. music is pretty spiffy also. See it here >> (Flash required).

On November 3rd, 1958 the Soviets put a 6kg mongrel into a space capsule along with various instruments designed to monitor her life signs and launched it all on the top of a rocket, making Laika (her name means "barker" in Russian) the first animal to be put into space by humans. There was no way to bring her back down to Earth so essentially she was a sacrifice, paving the way with the recorded knowledge of her passing for subsequent human missions.

Although it was earlier presumed that Laika suffocated after her oxygen ran out in a week, now data released by the Russians indicate that she may have died of overheating or was cooked when the heat shielding surrounding her capsule gave out. Laika was remembered in several stamps commerating her sacrifice. Her body (and the capsule) orbitted the Earth 2,570 times before the Soyuz burned up in the atmosphere. One scientist expressed regret years after: "The more time passes, the more I am sorry about it. We did not learn enough from the mission to justify the death of the dog."

Laika wasn't the only mutnik and some of the next generation actually made several trips into space or the upper atmosphere. The most famous was Strelka ("Fluffy") who survived to have a litter of puppies, one which was given by Nikita Kruschev as a state present to John F. Kennedy's children - she became Caroline Kennedy's dog (the photo of the Kennedys and their canines has two of the descendant puppies on Jackie's lap). Kennedy called them 'pupniks'.

Last week my default iPod earphones began crackling in a way that wasn't just in common with my music. People on the bus began looking at me like I was a shithead. So I tossed them and went looking for replacements. I hate ear bud type earphones in general because they have crappy range, in particular no bass. My replacement is not an ear bud it is a regular headphone that now lets everyone know I am not a cool iPod listener who might pop out one bud to chat with you but an obnoxious audiophile who could care less what you think. I'm pretty happy with my obnoxious-looking Senheisser PX100. It has the best bass I've ever had in a street phone and it also doubles as a puzzle because damned if I can figure out how to fold it up and put it back into its case. Whoever designed it probably thinks I sit on a bus seat solving Sudoku pencil games when in fact I can't ever get a seat on the frigging bus at all. By the way, I don't actually listen to music either. I just thumb through my iPod rating music. Why do I rate music? Does it actually matter? Is someone going to pick up my iPod and debate me?

My 10D camera body is in the shop for the time being fixing an annoying power switch issue but in the mean time I did manage to get some photos of friends during Halloween. From left to right: Adri Lake wearing the rice hat that I would later wear as part of my Japanese monk costume; an awesome Jack 'o Lantern carved by Ryan Slemko; Ryan himself as a freaky zombie and finally Keith Gillard wearing a pigs head.