I’ve been a fan of Kevin Kaska’s music ever since I first encountered it sharing an album with John Williams’ Trumpet Concerto and Essay for Strings. I’m delighted to find that more of his music has been released, both on CD as well as being found on YouTube. On some of the pieces below, you’ll definitely hear the influence of Williams’ music – for instance, I heard very definite echoes of “Duel of the Fates” in “Battle for Atlantis.” Read more
With the announcement that a woman will be playing the Doctor, it occurred to me that “Wibbly Wobbly Gendery Bendery” would be a great title for a blog post. I began typing it in on Google, to see if anyone had already used the phrase, and it autocompleted it for me. The quote from “Blink” from which the phrase “wibbly wobbly timey wimey” is taken has already been reworked more than once to be about gender rather than time. You can... Read more
The news broke early – because the tennis finished early – that the next Doctor will pe played by… Jodie Whittaker. I can totally see it, can’t you? I am really liking this new way the BBC has been approaching the announcements of new Doctors starting with Capaldi. There is a little bit more information on the BBC website, but a lot more on the Doctor Who official site, including an interview with thirteen questions, and a bio about Whittaker.... Read more
This is another attempt to update a saying of Jesus into imagery that might make more sense to people today. After all, the dogs in most homes of Bible readers do not settle for crumbs. Some have their own dishes, and some eat from the plates of the “masters.” And so I thought that at the very least avid birders would relate more to this imagery I’ve used here. Squirrels are living things, worthy of as much respect as birds are.... Read more
For those who may have missed the news, the BBC will be announcing tomorrow who the actor or actress will be who will next play the Doctor on Doctor Who. Any guesses? Read more
I discovered Amanda Harberg’s music through the Naxos Music Database. Her Viola Concerto is a phenomenal work, which you should listen to (it is on the composer’s website through SoundCloud). The same forthcoming CD also includes a wonderful viola concerto by Max Wolpert. Want more music now? Here’s Harberg’s Solis for Orchestra: Here is “Elegy for Viola and String Orchestra”: And here’s her “Elegy” in the arrangement for violin and piano: Read more
Rise of the Dungeon Master is above all else a history of Dungeons and Dragons in graphic novel/comic book form. But it is also a biography of Gary Gygax, and includes important moments in the history of Gen Con – although I am shocked that it did not mention Indianapolis! The book includes the true story behind the anti-D&D movement that was part of the broader “satanic panic” in the 1980s. The ending will surprise many people – but I won’t give spoilers... Read more
The image of the man in Canada who was unphased by a tornado nearby while mowing the lawn went viral online in June. Only now, after some time has passed, did it dawn on me to connect it with the way I once thought of updating Jesus’ words in Luke 9:62. I’ve heard it said that if someone seeks to plow while regularly looking backwards, they will end up with crooked plow lines. The same presumably goes for mowing. If the point... Read more
I recently learned of the existence of a “Heroes of the Bible” expansion for the game Mare Nostrum: Empires by Academy Games. There is more information on the Academy Games website, as well as Board Game Geek. Have any of you played this game, whether the Bible form or any other? The inclusion of Bible characters seems interesting but also odd, when I look at what the Bible characters’s characteristics are within the game. The website includes the following information: The... Read more
Two calls for papers came to my attention recently, and so I thought I would share them here together, since the first one’s theme (covering dystopian fiction) is also a major subset of the second one’s subject area (young adult fiction): (UN)ETHICAL FUTURES: UTOPIA, DYSTOPIA AND SCIENCE FICTION 16 & 17 December 2017 With pre-conference activities for postgraduate students on 15 December 2017 Hosted by Monash University in Melbourne, Australia Organised by Monash University and the University of Warwick with... Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In