I just had to trace back the origins of The Authority, so I borrowed Stormwatch last weekend. The first collection I read, "Lightning Strikes", was a little of expected disappointment: less sophisticated story, not-so-attractive drawing, and characters are more stereotyped.
Still, I got to know more likeable characters like Winter and Jackson King before and while he was still the Weatherman. I was little disappointed to see that Jack Hawksmoor and Jenny Sparks were not given any major roles.
All these changes as the story continues. I especially like the story arc with The High. Probably this is the first time Ellis introduced the concept of a team with a Doctor and an Engineer, a concept brought forward into The Authority.
The final moments in the story have sooo much potential to be a comic-book tragedy. I think somehow the panels and drawing did not succeed in conveying this. I can still see the tragic circumstances, but it could have been better.
The end of Stormwatch, though, is really cataclysmic. Almost everyone dies. Guess I am fortunate enough to read The Authority first before reading this end. It is such a cliffhanger, I don't think I can survive it had I read the story in the proper order :D
Anyway, I think The Authority is a good evolution from Stormwatch. There is another story branch with Jackson King called The Monarchy. I have not got my hand on it yet, but Wikipedia says story telling is confusing and fan reactions are so bad that the series got cancelled. Probably I don't miss much :)
I certainly develop a lot of respect to WildStorm after reading these 2 series. Marvel universe seem much tamer compared to WildStorm universe. Superheroes, even protagonists, die. Arguably this reduces the concept of a superhero into a supersoldier, partially dispensible in a battle. But I think it reminds me that that's how life is.
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Friday, December 01, 2006
A little dose of reality
I am currently busy preparing for a journal article in addition to some other stuff which I am starting to believe to be unimportant. Well, anyway, here is a dose of reality from the Internet: 10 Fascinating Facts about Iraq Overlooked by the Media.
Is this relevant to what I do (for a living)? No, not at all. But, I would like to argue, it is much more important than what I do. This is about living people, not some l337 algorithm with some potential commercial application.
And somehow it reassures me that those additional stuff I do really does matter. (See it for yourself from here http://www1.nvpc.org.sg/sub_page.asp?pid=101&sid=265 and here http://www.migrantvoices.org/index.html)
(Edited on 5 March 2015)
The links above are broken now. What I did was volunteering for a non-profit organization called "Migrant Voices." The goal was to raise awareness about migrant worker issues as well as helping such workers make their life more well-rounded in Singapore, away from their homes.
Seeing ten ladies from Java, the island in which my hometown is located, working hard to make a better life here made me want to make my own life better. I stopped volunteering there and worked on to make a career switch to animation, a career that I am now enjoying every day.
Is this relevant to what I do (for a living)? No, not at all. But, I would like to argue, it is much more important than what I do. This is about living people, not some l337 algorithm with some potential commercial application.
And somehow it reassures me that those additional stuff I do really does matter. (See it for yourself from here http://www1.nvpc.org.sg/sub_page.asp?pid=101&sid=265 and here http://www.migrantvoices.org/index.html)
(Edited on 5 March 2015)
The links above are broken now. What I did was volunteering for a non-profit organization called "Migrant Voices." The goal was to raise awareness about migrant worker issues as well as helping such workers make their life more well-rounded in Singapore, away from their homes.
Seeing ten ladies from Java, the island in which my hometown is located, working hard to make a better life here made me want to make my own life better. I stopped volunteering there and worked on to make a career switch to animation, a career that I am now enjoying every day.
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
The Authority
Just found it last Saturday at Jurong East Regional Library. I really like it.
At first look, I thought it had the good look suitable to my taste. Nice lines, good colours.
Then I thought the characters were rip-offs from older superheroes. The Midnighter looks like Batman, from his mask to the 3 small "hooks" along his lower arm (even his name suggests Batman feel). Apollo is like a toned-down Superman with rays shooting out his eyes, vulnerability, and flight. Even Swift looks like Hawkgirl from Justice League.
But then I saw Jenny Spark.
Of course I didn't know her name yet, but I like her attitude. And she looked to be in charge. So I thought, "Oh well, why not?"
And it did not disappoint. Though externally it looks like another clone of Justice League or The Avengers, its universe has a very different feeling. Justice League is just too full of powerful creatures (sometimes I wonder what Batman or Flash can even hope to do); while the few copies of The Avengers that I got to read were boring--not much going on in those books, yet somehow they are *collections* of chapters.
The Authority, on the other hand, is rather fast-paced (enemies defeated in 2 or 3 chapters!) and a lot is going on. The characters are likable and have just enough power to get the action going.
The universe has a nice blend of fantasy and sci-fi-ish feel. Fantasy (and symbolism) is aplenty. Jenny Spark is the Spirit of the Twentieth Century. She is 100 years old in 1998. She embodies the scientific/technology progress in the 20th century, electricity. I read from Wikipedia later that her successor, Jenny Quantum, will be called the Spirit of the Twenty First Century. I know this sounds like mambo-jambo, but it has a nice feel of consistency to it.
Another symbolism example is my favourite character in the team: Jack Hawksmoor. On my first read, I like him only because of his attitude and his moves. (I guess he embodies a lot of qualities I like in a superhero. He is fast, agile, and somewhat cunning.) He is "God of the Cities". I did not understand the significance of his name until I read from Wikipedia later that he can only survive inside urban regions; and he can become one with a city, as if the city is a living being; and he can be affected physically by the condition of a city he is in if he "connects" to it (he had a nosebleed when he connected to a destroyed Moscow). Of course this kind of power is full of BS if we thnk about it; but somehow it reinforces the consistency feeling I got from the characters' names.
Sci-fi-ish feel is a rather generous allowance I made because I like the comic. Guess I'd refrain from making this point because I can shoot it down even as I'm thinking the case :
Another difference is that The Authority does not hesitate to take necessary actions to get to its goal, including *gasp* killing. Traditional DC and Marvel superheroes always, always refrain from killing; arguing that that is the line which seperates them from the villains. Even the celebrated Kingdom Come revolves around this issue of killing.
And, by being utilitarian in terms of killing, the comic has so much potential in asking the questions "why superheroes do good", "who watches the watchmen", and other questions which starts from the fact that absolute power corrupts absolutely.
There are minus points that I miss, I'm sure. For one, they are completely separated from the rest of the world. Who cares if big cities like Moscow, London, and LA keep getting destroyed? As long as we get to the bad guys. Who cares about an empty building being destroyed? Who cares about the common men when the story is so exciting around the super people? All in all, the comic gets to a point in which we have the idea that human is too stupid and powerless to develop itself and make progress. We need The Authority to save us (heck, there isn't even a concept of progress there).
And, of course, superpowers in general are not so clearly defined in this universe, unlike Marvel universe in which we know just how strong Spidey is, and we know that even though Hulk is huge, he cannot be as huge as Godzilla or Ultraman. In The Authority, though, Jenny Spark sometimes just fight hand-to-hand with her powers. Then, when the aliens invaded LA, she conveniently has the power to zap every single alien ship while taking a gigantic form (or at least somekind of projection of her body). And also, in the alien's world, she can be powerful enough to destroy whole major part of a city. What Midnighter can do is also not too clear. He seems to be a super soldier; sometimes he can beat a bunch of enemies easily, at others one guard takes him a whole page to defeat. And about the same can be said about everyone else.
I guess the only point which does not make this unclear definiton to destroy the comic's appeal is some limited consistency of how the characters use their powers. Jenny can never fly; whereas Swift, the Winged Huntress, always takes aerial position during combat. And the battles are not just a series of bam, bam, ka-pows; somehow Jenny can always yell at someone to do something and that something is a necessary step to winning.
Try reading it yourself.
My favourite character is Jack Hawksmoor. Who is yours?
One final teaser for potential readers in Singapore: Jenny Quantum, the Spirit of the Twenty First Century, is born in Singapore.
At first look, I thought it had the good look suitable to my taste. Nice lines, good colours.
Then I thought the characters were rip-offs from older superheroes. The Midnighter looks like Batman, from his mask to the 3 small "hooks" along his lower arm (even his name suggests Batman feel). Apollo is like a toned-down Superman with rays shooting out his eyes, vulnerability, and flight. Even Swift looks like Hawkgirl from Justice League.
But then I saw Jenny Spark.
Of course I didn't know her name yet, but I like her attitude. And she looked to be in charge. So I thought, "Oh well, why not?"
And it did not disappoint. Though externally it looks like another clone of Justice League or The Avengers, its universe has a very different feeling. Justice League is just too full of powerful creatures (sometimes I wonder what Batman or Flash can even hope to do); while the few copies of The Avengers that I got to read were boring--not much going on in those books, yet somehow they are *collections* of chapters.
The Authority, on the other hand, is rather fast-paced (enemies defeated in 2 or 3 chapters!) and a lot is going on. The characters are likable and have just enough power to get the action going.
The universe has a nice blend of fantasy and sci-fi-ish feel. Fantasy (and symbolism) is aplenty. Jenny Spark is the Spirit of the Twentieth Century. She is 100 years old in 1998. She embodies the scientific/technology progress in the 20th century, electricity. I read from Wikipedia later that her successor, Jenny Quantum, will be called the Spirit of the Twenty First Century. I know this sounds like mambo-jambo, but it has a nice feel of consistency to it.
Another symbolism example is my favourite character in the team: Jack Hawksmoor. On my first read, I like him only because of his attitude and his moves. (I guess he embodies a lot of qualities I like in a superhero. He is fast, agile, and somewhat cunning.) He is "God of the Cities". I did not understand the significance of his name until I read from Wikipedia later that he can only survive inside urban regions; and he can become one with a city, as if the city is a living being; and he can be affected physically by the condition of a city he is in if he "connects" to it (he had a nosebleed when he connected to a destroyed Moscow). Of course this kind of power is full of BS if we thnk about it; but somehow it reinforces the consistency feeling I got from the characters' names.
Sci-fi-ish feel is a rather generous allowance I made because I like the comic. Guess I'd refrain from making this point because I can shoot it down even as I'm thinking the case :
Another difference is that The Authority does not hesitate to take necessary actions to get to its goal, including *gasp* killing. Traditional DC and Marvel superheroes always, always refrain from killing; arguing that that is the line which seperates them from the villains. Even the celebrated Kingdom Come revolves around this issue of killing.
And, by being utilitarian in terms of killing, the comic has so much potential in asking the questions "why superheroes do good", "who watches the watchmen", and other questions which starts from the fact that absolute power corrupts absolutely.
There are minus points that I miss, I'm sure. For one, they are completely separated from the rest of the world. Who cares if big cities like Moscow, London, and LA keep getting destroyed? As long as we get to the bad guys. Who cares about an empty building being destroyed? Who cares about the common men when the story is so exciting around the super people? All in all, the comic gets to a point in which we have the idea that human is too stupid and powerless to develop itself and make progress. We need The Authority to save us (heck, there isn't even a concept of progress there).
And, of course, superpowers in general are not so clearly defined in this universe, unlike Marvel universe in which we know just how strong Spidey is, and we know that even though Hulk is huge, he cannot be as huge as Godzilla or Ultraman. In The Authority, though, Jenny Spark sometimes just fight hand-to-hand with her powers. Then, when the aliens invaded LA, she conveniently has the power to zap every single alien ship while taking a gigantic form (or at least somekind of projection of her body). And also, in the alien's world, she can be powerful enough to destroy whole major part of a city. What Midnighter can do is also not too clear. He seems to be a super soldier; sometimes he can beat a bunch of enemies easily, at others one guard takes him a whole page to defeat. And about the same can be said about everyone else.
I guess the only point which does not make this unclear definiton to destroy the comic's appeal is some limited consistency of how the characters use their powers. Jenny can never fly; whereas Swift, the Winged Huntress, always takes aerial position during combat. And the battles are not just a series of bam, bam, ka-pows; somehow Jenny can always yell at someone to do something and that something is a necessary step to winning.
Try reading it yourself.
My favourite character is Jack Hawksmoor. Who is yours?
One final teaser for potential readers in Singapore: Jenny Quantum, the Spirit of the Twenty First Century, is born in Singapore.
Friday, November 24, 2006
Life is a kind of search
I especially like Dream Theater's kind of ironic lyric from Octavarium part I, Someone Like Him.
I remember when I was a kid, I was so sure that I don't want a lot of things about grown-up people. Things like responsibility, complicated cause-and-effect system, bureaucracy... But, as I grow up myself, I get exposed to these things. With much painful resistance, I learned their values, how these things are useful in social life. And so, now I think my kid self will hate my current self if somehow they could meet and interact.
Quoted from Someone Like Him:
I never wanted to become
Someone like him
...
So many years have passed
...
So suddenly
The only thing
I wanted
To become
To be someone just like him
One thing that I'd like to comment is that people usually see this process of growing up as "losing your innocence." That's correct. However, I believe that innocence is NOT a virtue. What is the difference between innocence and ignorance? The virtue here is not about not knowing evil, but being exposed to evil and being able to recognize and resist it.
True, this makes it difficult for any adult to teach and understand young kids. Somehow, we cannot understand how we used to think. This is a common side effect of learning and knowing. Ask any PhD student ot university professor to explain their research topic. I'm sure you'll see them thinking hard about how to explain a highly specialized stuff to another person who don't even know the basics necessary to understand why this specialized stuff is so difficult to do. In this case, research is "life", the researcher is "an adult", and you are "a young, innocent kid."
---
I'm starting to realize that life is a form of constant search. You find a thing, understand its use and deficiencies, and search for another thing to overcome the deficiencies or some other unsatisfied needs.
Quoted from The Answer Lies Within, still by Dream Theater:
Life is short, so learn from your mistakes
And stand behind, the choices that you made
Face each day with both eyes open wide
And try to give, don't keep it all inside
Don't let the day go by
Don't let it end
Don't let a day go by, in doubt,
The answer lies within
You've got the future on your side
You've gonna be fine now
I know whatever you decide
You are gonna shine!!!
I think I am still immature in my own search because I'm just a sucker for the bold line. Sometimes I wonder how other people can learn these things so quickly in their own search.
---
New remixes over at OverClocked Remix:
(1) Moon Rhapsody, a first remix by DrumUltimA. It's from the game Cave Story.
http://www.ocremix.org/remix/OCR01524/
Somehow I like the remix even though Im not familiar with the original tune.
(2) Via, by Tepid, TO, and pixietricks, from the game Final Fantasy X.
http://www.ocremix.org/remix/OCR01521/
It's got Tepid and TO, so it's got to be good :)
(3) Knuckleduster by Daniel Baranowsky from Sonic 3.
http://www.ocremix.org/remix/OCR01526/
I was rather skeptical to read that Marble Garden tune from Sonic 3 got lyricized, even if it's by Mr Baranowsky. The fact that Sonic 3 is probably *the* favourite game I had during high school time just thickens my skepticism. But it turned out to be good, so I recommend it :)
Oh, this remix is a part of the remix album Project Chaos: http://s3k.ocremix.org
I remember when I was a kid, I was so sure that I don't want a lot of things about grown-up people. Things like responsibility, complicated cause-and-effect system, bureaucracy... But, as I grow up myself, I get exposed to these things. With much painful resistance, I learned their values, how these things are useful in social life. And so, now I think my kid self will hate my current self if somehow they could meet and interact.
Quoted from Someone Like Him:
I never wanted to become
Someone like him
...
So many years have passed
...
So suddenly
The only thing
I wanted
To become
To be someone just like him
One thing that I'd like to comment is that people usually see this process of growing up as "losing your innocence." That's correct. However, I believe that innocence is NOT a virtue. What is the difference between innocence and ignorance? The virtue here is not about not knowing evil, but being exposed to evil and being able to recognize and resist it.
True, this makes it difficult for any adult to teach and understand young kids. Somehow, we cannot understand how we used to think. This is a common side effect of learning and knowing. Ask any PhD student ot university professor to explain their research topic. I'm sure you'll see them thinking hard about how to explain a highly specialized stuff to another person who don't even know the basics necessary to understand why this specialized stuff is so difficult to do. In this case, research is "life", the researcher is "an adult", and you are "a young, innocent kid."
---
I'm starting to realize that life is a form of constant search. You find a thing, understand its use and deficiencies, and search for another thing to overcome the deficiencies or some other unsatisfied needs.
Quoted from The Answer Lies Within, still by Dream Theater:
Life is short, so learn from your mistakes
And stand behind, the choices that you made
Face each day with both eyes open wide
And try to give, don't keep it all inside
Don't let the day go by
Don't let it end
Don't let a day go by, in doubt,
The answer lies within
You've got the future on your side
You've gonna be fine now
I know whatever you decide
You are gonna shine!!!
I think I am still immature in my own search because I'm just a sucker for the bold line. Sometimes I wonder how other people can learn these things so quickly in their own search.
---
New remixes over at OverClocked Remix:
(1) Moon Rhapsody, a first remix by DrumUltimA. It's from the game Cave Story.
http://www.ocremix.org/remix/OCR01524/
Somehow I like the remix even though Im not familiar with the original tune.
(2) Via, by Tepid, TO, and pixietricks, from the game Final Fantasy X.
http://www.ocremix.org/remix/OCR01521/
It's got Tepid and TO, so it's got to be good :)
(3) Knuckleduster by Daniel Baranowsky from Sonic 3.
http://www.ocremix.org/remix/OCR01526/
I was rather skeptical to read that Marble Garden tune from Sonic 3 got lyricized, even if it's by Mr Baranowsky. The fact that Sonic 3 is probably *the* favourite game I had during high school time just thickens my skepticism. But it turned out to be good, so I recommend it :)
Oh, this remix is a part of the remix album Project Chaos: http://s3k.ocremix.org
Friday, October 20, 2006
3 Weeks
3 weeks have passed. I have read 3 books meanwhile:
It is interesting that only after I am through with a few chapters in the second and the third books that it dawned on me that all these books discuss different angles of the same phenomenon. The first introduces the phenomenon head-on, journalist style; the second is the more sober personal angle in facing the phenomenon; and the third formalizes a framework to explain outcomes of the phenomenon.
A phenomenon that is globalization.
Globalization is here. Nobody can stop it. It is transforming things faceless and less personal. And it increases the gap between the rich (the hits/the head) and the poor (the non-hits/the tail). And we need to make sure it is sustainable to prevent a (potentially violent) backlash.
All coincidences in life and the choices we made brought us here today. Coincidences put us in the time of globalization. Our choices bring each of us to our current unique state of personal life. What do we do from here?
And nobody really understands what exactly globalization will bring. We think we start to understand it better. One example of such understanding is formulating the "long tail" phenomenon.
The Long Tail points out that individual thing in the tail (the poor) is small, but collectively they can compete with the hits (the head/the rich) because of sheer number/volume. This agrees nicely with the fact that the gap between the rich and the poor is widening.
I personally think that one bad thing about globalization is the fact that "winner takes all". To me, this seems to be the reason why globalization can result in a backlash. In the least, it stimulates efforts which may result in globalization being unsustainable.
I am still not sure myself how to interpret all these...
---
New link:
(Edited on 5 March 2015)
- The Lexus and the Olive Tree by Thomas Friedman,
- Confessions of an Economic Hit Man by John Perkins, and
- The Long Tail by Chris Anderson.
It is interesting that only after I am through with a few chapters in the second and the third books that it dawned on me that all these books discuss different angles of the same phenomenon. The first introduces the phenomenon head-on, journalist style; the second is the more sober personal angle in facing the phenomenon; and the third formalizes a framework to explain outcomes of the phenomenon.
A phenomenon that is globalization.
Globalization is here. Nobody can stop it. It is transforming things faceless and less personal. And it increases the gap between the rich (the hits/the head) and the poor (the non-hits/the tail). And we need to make sure it is sustainable to prevent a (potentially violent) backlash.
All coincidences in life and the choices we made brought us here today. Coincidences put us in the time of globalization. Our choices bring each of us to our current unique state of personal life. What do we do from here?
And nobody really understands what exactly globalization will bring. We think we start to understand it better. One example of such understanding is formulating the "long tail" phenomenon.
The Long Tail points out that individual thing in the tail (the poor) is small, but collectively they can compete with the hits (the head/the rich) because of sheer number/volume. This agrees nicely with the fact that the gap between the rich and the poor is widening.
I personally think that one bad thing about globalization is the fact that "winner takes all". To me, this seems to be the reason why globalization can result in a backlash. In the least, it stimulates efforts which may result in globalization being unsustainable.
I am still not sure myself how to interpret all these...
---
New link:
- Uncyclopedia: http://uncyclopedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
(Edited on 5 March 2015)
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
The Rise of the Middle Class
I just found out today from The Lexus and The Olive Tree that the large middle class is a mid-twentieth century phenomenon (I thought it has always been the case). It is a recent phenomenon that never occurred before in history.
I find this interesting because it opens a lot of questions. Does that mean that the gap between the rich and the poor (because there was no middle class in between) was extremely wide before mid-twentieth century? What caused this rise of large middle class?
And what was it like to live in a society without a large middle class?(It seems we will be living in such a society in several decades or even sooner.)
One large topic to research on :)
(Edited on 5 March 2015)
(Added on 5 March 2015)
I recommend reading The Lexus and the Olive Tree by Thomas Friedman. It gives a broad overview of history that leads up to globalization that we are experiencing today.
Friedman followed this up with another book, The World is Flat ("flat" in the sense that opportunities are more fairly available, as in "a flat playing field"). I also recommend reading this.
I find this interesting because it opens a lot of questions. Does that mean that the gap between the rich and the poor (because there was no middle class in between) was extremely wide before mid-twentieth century? What caused this rise of large middle class?
And what was it like to live in a society without a large middle class?
One large topic to research on :)
(Edited on 5 March 2015)
(Added on 5 March 2015)
I recommend reading The Lexus and the Olive Tree by Thomas Friedman. It gives a broad overview of history that leads up to globalization that we are experiencing today.
Friedman followed this up with another book, The World is Flat ("flat" in the sense that opportunities are more fairly available, as in "a flat playing field"). I also recommend reading this.
Saturday, September 23, 2006
Fun VS Sense of Purpose
While working on my poster presentation and an oral presentation early this week, I experienced "fun" while working for the first time in quite a while. The fun, the anticipation of how people would react to my poster/PowerPoint slides was so great that I could work on them without the heavy feeling that I was working.
It got me thinking. What is the difference between fun and sense of purpose? I can work with a similar intensity when I have a sense of purpose in what I am doing. Is fun just a special case of sense of purpose? Or is sense of purpose just a different form of anticipation of how my method will perform?
Or is it really anticipation itself that can drive me to work like mad?
Perhaps it is anticipation.
It got me thinking. What is the difference between fun and sense of purpose? I can work with a similar intensity when I have a sense of purpose in what I am doing. Is fun just a special case of sense of purpose? Or is sense of purpose just a different form of anticipation of how my method will perform?
Or is it really anticipation itself that can drive me to work like mad?
Perhaps it is anticipation.
Thursday, September 14, 2006
A start
I decided to start this blog, hopefully a more respectable one.
These days I keep getting a mix of opposite things, making me unsure how to respond to life. I will attempt to capture a portion of such things here.
(Edited on 5 March 2015.)
These days I keep getting a mix of opposite things, making me unsure how to respond to life. I will attempt to capture a portion of such things here.
(Edited on 5 March 2015.)
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