Last night saw The Big Bang Theory hit our screens again on e4. As usual Sheldon Cooper was his usual hilarious self. At the end of the last season Sheldon left to go on a train trip across the USA as life was getting on top of him. This episode explains what happened to Sheldon and his return to Leonard's apartment.
My favourite moment was probably when Sheldon quoted Sherlock Holmes in front of a police inspector. Sheldon has the knack of being blunt at the wrong times, but that is what makes him brilliant. The episode also updates us on the situation concerning Howard's mother and Stuart. The bro-mance between Howard and Raj is still there and still very funny.
I cannot wait for next weeks episode where hopefully we see how Sheldon and Amy move their relationship forward.
Friday 24 October 2014
Wednesday 22 October 2014
The Reason I Read Fantasy and Science Fiction
My favourite book genres are fantasy and science fiction; they are the book genres I read the most. I have recently got into reading books by Neil Gaiman, which have shown me how diverse the fantasy genre is. I read fantasy because I hope to lose myself in a fantasy world in hope that I will change my way of perceiving the world. For example, Harry Potter teaches the importance of friendship and the Lord of the Rings is a tale about war and fighting temptation for absolute power.
Getting oneself lost in the worlds created by fantasy authors enables me to leave this world and be transported to another. Getting lost in a good book is a unique experience itself, but getting lost in a fantasy world really helps to stretch the imagination. When one reads A Game of Thrones or Neverwhere, one gets transported into a completely different world. I could image the meetings at Kings Landing in A Game of Thrones and became engaged with the political games being played by Tyrion, Varys and Littlefinger.
One could also argue that fantasy books allows one to wonder into the minds of the authors. At times it feels that the author is speaking directly to you as the reader, and telling the story to you. Moreover, fantasy is more than magic and dragons, it is about the adventure, the use of myth and folklore, characters and world building.
To summarise, I read fantasy to escape the confines of reality, to relax my mind and to open my mind further to new ways of thinking. Also, I read fantasy for the epic story and amazing characters.
Getting oneself lost in the worlds created by fantasy authors enables me to leave this world and be transported to another. Getting lost in a good book is a unique experience itself, but getting lost in a fantasy world really helps to stretch the imagination. When one reads A Game of Thrones or Neverwhere, one gets transported into a completely different world. I could image the meetings at Kings Landing in A Game of Thrones and became engaged with the political games being played by Tyrion, Varys and Littlefinger.
One could also argue that fantasy books allows one to wonder into the minds of the authors. At times it feels that the author is speaking directly to you as the reader, and telling the story to you. Moreover, fantasy is more than magic and dragons, it is about the adventure, the use of myth and folklore, characters and world building.
To summarise, I read fantasy to escape the confines of reality, to relax my mind and to open my mind further to new ways of thinking. Also, I read fantasy for the epic story and amazing characters.
Monday 20 October 2014
Doctor Who Series 8: Mummy on the Orient Express. Review.
The Doctor takes Clara on a trip on a space train, in an attempt to build bridges with Clara. Though in reality he is investigating the murders of passengers on a train. It could be said that this episode is like a classic Agatha Christie mystery, with a Sci-fi twist.
Frank Skinner, a British comedian, makes a guest appearance as a train engineer as they work out why only the victims can see a murdering mummy.
All in all a good episode, but not the best in the series. Peter Capaldi was excellent and you can feel that he is growing into the role as the Doctor.
Frank Skinner, a British comedian, makes a guest appearance as a train engineer as they work out why only the victims can see a murdering mummy.
All in all a good episode, but not the best in the series. Peter Capaldi was excellent and you can feel that he is growing into the role as the Doctor.
Doctor Who Series 8 : Kill the Moon. Review
The Doctor takes Clara and one of her pupils to the moon, but in the future. The moon appears to be dying and is infested with alien spiders. A team sent from earth, armed with nuclear weapons are sent to do whatever is necessary to protect the earth.
This episode, without giving anything away, deals with a few ethical issues, and once again Clara is left to make the difficult decisions. This episode sees Clara's friendship with the Doctor get put to the test as the Doctor decides not take make the decision, which I will not say as it gives away the plot, to decide what is the most ethical thing to do.
I liked the development of the changing relationship between the Doctor and Clara, though the main plot is a little bit implausible. Though it is Doctor Who, so really plots can be as random as you want them to be. All in all a good episode.
This episode, without giving anything away, deals with a few ethical issues, and once again Clara is left to make the difficult decisions. This episode sees Clara's friendship with the Doctor get put to the test as the Doctor decides not take make the decision, which I will not say as it gives away the plot, to decide what is the most ethical thing to do.
I liked the development of the changing relationship between the Doctor and Clara, though the main plot is a little bit implausible. Though it is Doctor Who, so really plots can be as random as you want them to be. All in all a good episode.
Thursday 16 October 2014
Favourite Sheldon Cooper Quotes
With the new season of The Big Bang Theory starting next week in the UK, I am going to share my favourite Sheldon Cooper quotes. Sheldon Cooper is a brilliant character because he is himself and does not conform to social norms. Moreover, there is evidence to suggest that he has Asperger's Syndrome and has OCD. Sheldon is both funny and a character not afraid to speak his mind. I hope you enjoy the quotes that I have chosen.
- "One cries because one is sad. I cry because others are stupid, and that makes me sad."
- "They were threatened by my intelligence and too stupid to know that's why they hated me."
- "Well, well, well, if it isn't Wil Wheaton. The Green Goblin to my Spider-Man, the Pope Paul V to my Galileo, the Internet Explorer to my Firefox!"
- "What type of computer do you have? And please don't say a white one."
- "Wait, no. That's a false equivalency. More does not equal merry. If there was 2000 people in this apartment right now, would we be celebrating? No, we'd be suffocating."
- "You may not realize it, but I have difficulty navigating certain aspects of daily life. You know, understanding sarcasm, feigning interest in others, not talking about trains as much as I want. It's exhausting!"
- "Penny, while I subscribe to the "Many Worlds" theory which posits the existence of an infinite number of Sheldons in an infinite number of universes, I assure you that in none of them am I dancing."
- "Yet another child left behind."
- "I don't care if anybody gets it. I'm going as the Doppler effect. If I have to, I can demonstrate. NYEEEOOOOM."
Sunday 12 October 2014
The Essential Reading List for Geeks
This is a list of essential reading material for people who consider themselves geeky. I intend to cover mostly fantasy novels, science fiction novels and some comics.
Books
Books
- The Lord of the Rings - J.R.R. Tolkien
- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
- A Game of Thrones - George R.R. Martin (Plus the rest of the books)
- Good Omens - Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
- Ready Player One - Ernest Cline
- The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
- The Discworld Series - Terry Pratchett
- Dracula - Bram Stoker
- Frankenstein - Mary Shelley
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - J. K. Rowling
- Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card
- The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle
- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
- The Chronicles of Narnia - C. S. Lewis
- The Eye of the World - Robert Jordan
- The Belgariad - David Eddings
- Animal Farm - George Orwell
- Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
Comics and Graphic Novels
- Sandman - Neil Gaiman
- Maus - Art Spiegelman
- Marvel Superheroes
- Batman
- Watchmen - Alan Moore
Wednesday 8 October 2014
The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings Discussion
Listening to Pippin's song this morning made me think about the impact that Tolkien has made on fantasy fiction an popular culture as a whole. The world of Middle Earth is so richly brought to life in both the books and in Peter Jackson's films. In this post I am going to discuss my favourite things about The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings.
Favourite Character
My favourite character is Aragorn simply because apart from Frodo he is the typical heroic king, who has to reclaim his throne. I also like the way that his character evolves from the guise of a ranger to the king of Gondor. Aragorn is both a strong warrior and well educated, as he was brought up in the House of Elrond.
Favourite Quotes
"If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world." - The Hobbit
“So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” - The Lord of the Rings
"It comes in Pints, I'm getting one" - Pippin in the Fellowship of the Ring (Movie)
Books vs the Movies
In my opinion both the books and the films are equally awesome in their own unique ways. Both display a story focused on hobbits leaving the Shire and entering into a world under threat from dark powers. Tolkien's love of trees and nature is displayed both in the books and the films. The emblem of Gondor is a white tree and the Ents look after forests. More on Ents, it could be argued that the Ents attack on Isengard was a representation of nature fighting back against industry.
Final Thoughts
The world of Middle Earth is truly magical and well thought out. Do not be afraid to be labelled a nerd if you admit to people that you really love Tolkien's work, because it is quality literature. If you have not read the books or watched the movies then get a move on as The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies is out in December.
Favourite Character
My favourite character is Aragorn simply because apart from Frodo he is the typical heroic king, who has to reclaim his throne. I also like the way that his character evolves from the guise of a ranger to the king of Gondor. Aragorn is both a strong warrior and well educated, as he was brought up in the House of Elrond.
Favourite Quotes
"If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world." - The Hobbit
“So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” - The Lord of the Rings
"It comes in Pints, I'm getting one" - Pippin in the Fellowship of the Ring (Movie)
Books vs the Movies
In my opinion both the books and the films are equally awesome in their own unique ways. Both display a story focused on hobbits leaving the Shire and entering into a world under threat from dark powers. Tolkien's love of trees and nature is displayed both in the books and the films. The emblem of Gondor is a white tree and the Ents look after forests. More on Ents, it could be argued that the Ents attack on Isengard was a representation of nature fighting back against industry.
Final Thoughts
The world of Middle Earth is truly magical and well thought out. Do not be afraid to be labelled a nerd if you admit to people that you really love Tolkien's work, because it is quality literature. If you have not read the books or watched the movies then get a move on as The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies is out in December.
Saturday 4 October 2014
Bonus blog
This post is mostly going to be random. I am going to discuss the positives and negatives of book to movie adaptations. Many movies popular at the cinema started of life in books; from Harry Potter to the Hunger Games and many other examples where books are made into movies. Some books make good movies and some do not. However, I intend to list the good points and then the bad points about book to movie adaptations.
Positives
Positives
- Advertises the book, which in turn gets more people to read. For example, the Lord of the Rings movies encouraged more people to try out the books.
- Provides a visual representation of the world described in the book.
- Some books are poorly written but have a good plot which are more suited to the movie format.
- Stories become accessible to those who struggle to read or lack the ability to imagine the story taking place in their head.
Negatives
- Can encourage people to be lazy and take the attitude that there is no need to read a book as it will probably get made into a movie.
- Movie adaptations are not always true to the book.
- Can cause books to be over hyped and make more people over critical of certain books. For example, some people mock Harry Potter when they forget that the intended audience are younger readers.
Hope you have enjoyed reading this post. Personally I support the adaptation of books into movies.
Neverwhere - Neil Gaiman. Book Review
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
Published by Headline Publishing Group
Under the streets of London... It's a place most people never even dream of. A city of monsters and saints, murderers and angels, knights in armour and pale girls in black velvet. This is the city of the people who have fallen between the cracks.
Richard Mayhew, a young businessman is going to find out more than enough about this other London. A single act of kindness catapults him out of his workday existence and into a world that is at once eerily familiar and utterly bizarre. And a strange destiny awaits him down here, beneath his native city: neverwhere.
An interesting novel, telling the story of Richard Mayhew, who was living an ordinary life until he got pulled into a dangerous adventure in London below. London below is a London which exists underneath the real London. The world underneath is like a fantasy world, but unlike fairy tales there is not a happy ending for everyone.
Other important characters are: Door, a young women saved by Richard Mayhew, and the mysterious Marquis de Carabas. Two murderers have killed Door's family, and it is left to Door, Richard and de Carabas to unmask the one behind it.
The story is both funny and dark. Gaiman cleverly mixes history with myth to create the vivid world of London below. I would describe this novel as a unique way of describing society of people who are forgotten and ignored by the majority.
I really liked this book and would recommend this book to anyone, even if you are not a huge fan of fantasy. My only criticism is that there is not a sequel.
Rating: 10/10
Published by Headline Publishing Group
Under the streets of London... It's a place most people never even dream of. A city of monsters and saints, murderers and angels, knights in armour and pale girls in black velvet. This is the city of the people who have fallen between the cracks.
Richard Mayhew, a young businessman is going to find out more than enough about this other London. A single act of kindness catapults him out of his workday existence and into a world that is at once eerily familiar and utterly bizarre. And a strange destiny awaits him down here, beneath his native city: neverwhere.
An interesting novel, telling the story of Richard Mayhew, who was living an ordinary life until he got pulled into a dangerous adventure in London below. London below is a London which exists underneath the real London. The world underneath is like a fantasy world, but unlike fairy tales there is not a happy ending for everyone.
Other important characters are: Door, a young women saved by Richard Mayhew, and the mysterious Marquis de Carabas. Two murderers have killed Door's family, and it is left to Door, Richard and de Carabas to unmask the one behind it.
The story is both funny and dark. Gaiman cleverly mixes history with myth to create the vivid world of London below. I would describe this novel as a unique way of describing society of people who are forgotten and ignored by the majority.
I really liked this book and would recommend this book to anyone, even if you are not a huge fan of fantasy. My only criticism is that there is not a sequel.
Rating: 10/10
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