Cuteness

This is a good time for something happy and cute. Something that my friends Auzumel and Devilbird would call "elemental cuteness". Therefore, I present a photo from a card our dear neighbors sent us -- a kitten wearing a sweater:

It makes me giggle every time I look at it. And that's a very good thing.

More of the usual shenanigans soon.

RPG setting ideas -- The "old-school" experience

(Partly based on conversations with Big D, and also to keep track of these links)

This post is another one in a series seen here and here. For a while I've been thinking about playing a retro-clone based on the "old-school" D&D experience. I know trying to recapture that lightning in a bottle is usually a futile effort, but still I think it could be fun to try.

Possible rules to use:

• Labyrinth Lord
• Castles and Crusades
• OSRIC
• Basic Fantasy
• Barbarians of Lemuria
• ZeFRS
• Original D&D or Rules Cyclopedia (Basic/Expert/Companion/Masters)
• Microlite2o
• Dragon Warriors
• Microlite '74
• Swords & Wizardry
• A Quick Primer for Old School Gaming
• Mazes & Minotaurs
• Forward...To Adventure!
• Spellcraft & Swordplay
• Broadsword
• Red Box Hack
• Storming the Wizard's Tower
• BASH! Fantasy Edition

(more later as I find them)

Shiner Bock now available in Indiana

"Schlitz didn't pay a penny for this endorsement - and probably won't. R.E.H."

Earlier in the year I had been searching around for stores carrying Shiner Bock, a beer brewed in Shiner, Texas. It's sort of an "unofficial" favorite beverage of Robert E. Howard fans.

So I was surprised when this weekend, at the grocery store, I happened to look in the beer aisle and saw Shiner's Bohemian Black Lager and Hefeweizen on the shelf. Today I confirmed that Shiner started selling in Indiana about two months ago.

But if you plan to imbibe while you're at Howard Days in Cross Plains, deep in the heart of Texas, remember that Callahan County is a dry county.

New Bond and Star Trek 2009 Trailer

Mrs. Kaiju and I saw the new James Bond film Quantum of Solace on Saturday night. It was excellent, as expected. We didn't have a chance to watch Casino Royale again before seeing QoS like we wanted. The new film picks up immediately after it, so even though it works on its own, QoS is very much like the second half of CR.

Half of the reason I wanted to see QoS this weekend is because we're big Bond fans (and Mrs. Kaiju is quite a Daniel Craig fan). The other half is that the new Star Trek trailer is being shown with most prints of QoS, and I wanted to see it the right way -- on the silver screen -- before watching it repeatedly on the web.

Wow. That completely rocked. The snippets of scenes that we see look fantastic, and it's just a well-made preview in the way that it's structured. Trek is coming back in a big way. I am even more excited about the movie than I had been before. A high-def video of the trailer hits the official site tomorrow and Entertainment Tonight should be running it on Monday's show. Check it out... I don't believe you'll be disappointed.

Update: The so-called "TV spot" trailer was on ET tonight. The scenes were mixed around, and none of the Corvette chase was shown. Overall, I think it was a pretty effective 50 second spot. I'm disappointed that it's the sort of piece that we hardly ever see on ET anymore. It's become less of an entertainment news and preview program and more celebrity gossip.

Radar Clones from the Moon

Something I had been thinking about since seeing Revenge of the Sith -- there's a character who is one of the leaders of the clone army named Commander Cody. Knowing George Lucas, this is obviously a nod to the hero of the serial Radar Men from the Moon.

There is a guest post on Wired's GeekDad blog that references this, and also the band Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen.

Check that page for links to information, plus YouTube videos of Radar Men from the Moon and appearances by the band.

"It’s a new ship, but she’s got the right name."

Big Trek news this week -- the first trailer for the new movie with real movie footage premieres in front of Quantum of Solace this weekend.

Also, the first photo of the new Enterprise was released on Entertainment Weekly's PopWatch blog, and it immediately set off heated discussion in the on-line fan community. This follows the usual pattern of 1) some people say they like it, 2) more people say they hate it, 3) the first group accuses the haters of not following the Trek philosophy of diversity and change, and 4) the haters say the new movie producers have ruined their childhood and "invalidated" 42 years of TV series and movies... as if all those books and DVDs will somehow spontaneously combust. *sigh*

As for me, I just don't think there's enough there in one still frame to form any kind of opinion. Part of it looks like fish-eye-lens distortion. There are a few seconds of the Enterprise in motion visible in the trailer, which will help. I'm also thinking that since alternate timelines are an important part of the storyline, I'm not sure if this is the One True Enterprise, or one of several we'll see.

History

Just in time for Lincoln's bicentennial, shortly after Inauguration Day.

Finally...an update

Yes, can you believe it? I haven't posted anything new since July. It's been a fast but stressful summer. You can read more about it over on Mrs. Kaiju's blog.

One big reason why I'm breaking my silence is the release of the first official photos from the new Star Trek movie. There are six pics exclusive to various entertainment sites but you can find links to each at Trekmovie.com.

There's more in the new Entertainment Weekly which should hit the stores tomorrow.

And I'll do my best to keep the blog updated in the future...

Trek Remastered -- The Cloud Minders"

This week's new episode is "The Cloud Minders". The preview image of the floating city Stratos is just incredible. Another outstanding digital matte painting for the Remastered project!

Trek Remastered -- catching up

We've been so busy lately I haven't had time to post! I've missed giving updates on the past three episodes. Click the links for reviews, screenshots and FX video:

• "Requiem for Methuselah" -- "I am Brahms." "And da Vinci?" "Yes."


• "The Savage Curtain" -- with Abraham Lincoln and Surak


• "The Omega Glory" (repeat) -- "E plebnista..."

Trek Remastered -- "The Way to Eden"

Yes, this is the space hippies episode. I still think there are some good bits that make it worth watching. Don't be a Herbert and take a look at the preview image of the new Aurora model... I reach that, man, it's real now. "Headin' out to Eden, yea, brother!"

Trek Remastered -- "The Lights of Zetar"

Just a quick update -- check out some great preview images for this Scotty-centric episode.

Harvey Korman and others, R.I.P.

"Now, go do that voodoo that you do so well!"

Thursday evening, the news broke that the great multi-talented comedic actor Harvey Korman passed away at the age of 81.

We used to watch "The Carol Burnett Show" and the spin-off "Mama's Family" all the time when I was a kid, and he'll probably (and justifiably so) be remembered for his work on those shows. We shouldn't forget about his guest appearances on so many other TV shows, including "The Muppet Show" and "The Star Wars Holiday Special", and his movies with Tim Conway.

I'll remember him most for his brilliant turn as villain Hedley Lamarr in Blazing Saddles.

We've lost too many talented people from the entertainment industry in the past week or so: director/actor/producer Sydney Pollack; actor/director Joseph Pevney; the friendly half of Rowan and Martin, Dick Martin; composer Earle Hagen; and the composer of eight of the most famous notes in entertainment history, Alexander Courage.

Trek Remastered -- "Whom Gods Destroy" and "The Mark of Gideon"

I missed last week's episode, "Whom Gods Destroy", so this is a double-shot preview. I'll get a chance to catch it on Saturday night's rerun.

"Whom Gods Destroy", as mentioned in this review, is a real departure for the series. It's almost like an episode of Batman, especially with Batgirl herself, Yvonne Craig, as an Orion slave girl.

"The Mark of Gideon" is the episode where Captain Kirk is held aboard an empty replica of the Enterprise on an overpopulated planet. I suppose they had no money and had to reuse the ship sets for that week's episode.

Trek Remastered -- "A Private Little War"

This week's episode is Trek's commentary on the ongoing Vietnam War, "A Private Little War". The Federation and the Klingon Empire arm opposing sides of a primitive culture in this mid-Second Season ep. But the important thing to remember about this one is... the Mugato!

Gnome Stew is ready

For several years you could count on an insightful daily gaming post from Martin or a guest blogger over at Treasure Tables. It was a shame when TT went on hiatus, but understandable. I've tried to update Kaijuville twice a week and you can see how often that happens. The TT archives, forums and wiki are still active.

Martin and some other TT regulars have just started Gnome Stew, a multi-author blog dedicated to game masters and GMing. They are all very knowledgeable, experienced, and good at writing about those topics. Take a look!

Julie Ege, R.I.P.

Julie Ege, who starred in Hammer's Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires and On Her Majesty's Secret Service, passed away on April 29th.

Ege was born in Høyland, Sandnes; where she was a Miss Norway and Miss Universe contestant (and later a Penthouse Pet). In 1967, she moved to England as an au pair to improve her English.

She made her film debut in a low budget Norwegian film The Sky and the Ocean, appeared in 1969's On Her Majesty's Secret Service (as Helen, the Scandinavian girl) and later starred in Hammer Film Productions' The Creatures the World Forgot and the Hammer/Shaw Brothers co-production The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires. She also appeared in the 'Gluttony' segment of the movie The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins, Jack Cardiff's The Freakmaker and Freddie Francis' Craze with Jack Palance.

Julie Ege was married and divorced twice, lived in Oslo where she worked as a nurse until her death from breast cancer and is survived by two daughters.

Wikipedia entry

Filmography and photo page (update) (some NSFW)

Times Online obit

Hammer and Beyond Blog obit (photo NSFW)

Trek Remastered -- "Court Martial"

Rights, sir – human rights! The Bible. The Code of Hammurabi. And of Justinian. The Magna Carta. The Constitution of the United States. The Fundamental Declarations of the Martian Colonies. The Statutes of Alpha III. Gentlemen, these documents all speak of rights!

Kirk is ordered to face a court martial at Starbase 11 when the circumstances surrounding a crewman's death are thrown into doubt. Kirk's lawyer Samuel T. Cogley must call on the assistance of the Enterprise crew in order to clear Kirk's name.

...

One of my favorite episodes is on this weekend. This is from the first season, and it gives us a lot of Trek backstory. It's the first time in the series that the Enterprise visits a starbase. And it's just a great hour of dramatic television.

Cogley is played by noted character actor Elisha Cook, Jr., who was so memorable in movies like The Maltese Falcon, Shane, The Killing, and House on Haunted Hill.

A preview image from the Remastered ep is at this page.

And I repeat, I speak of rights. A machine has none. A man must. My client has the right to face his accuser, and if you do not grant him that right, you have brought us down to the level of the machine. Indeed, you have elevated that machine above us. I ask that my motion be granted, and more than that, gentlemen, in the name of humanity, fading in the shadow of the machine, I demand it. I demand it!

Trek Remastered -- "Assignment: Earth"

This weekend's episode is "Assignment: Earth", where the crew travels to 1968 and encounters a being named Gary Seven. Is he friend or foe?

The last episode of the Second Season is notable for several reasons, chiefly because it was intended to be the pilot for a new series.

Women of Hammer Horror Films

Speaking of Hammer horror films, someone recently posted a photo gallery of actresses seen in Hammer films (via BoingBoing).

Thanks to Edige for pointing this out to me.