From: blakes7-d-request@lysator.liu.se Subject: blakes7-d Digest V98 #198 X-Loop: blakes7-d@lysator.liu.se X-Mailing-List: archive/volume98/198 Precedence: list MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/digest; boundary="----------------------------" To: blakes7-d@lysator.liu.se Reply-To: blakes7@lysator.liu.se ------------------------------ Content-Type: text/plain blakes7-d Digest Volume 98 : Issue 198 Today's Topics: Re: [B7L] Orac's innards [B7L] Re: Happy Endings Re: [B7L] Babylon 5 Repeats-on TNT,babe. [B7L] Re: Blakes Legend [B7L] Babylon 5 repeats Re: [B7L] Re: Shopping for vids [B7L] Fw: computers and fandom Re: [B7L] Re: Happy Endings [B7L] B7 on UK Gold & B5 on Ch4 Re: [B7L] Babylon 5 Repeats Re: [B7L] Re: Happy Endings RE: [B7L] Babylon 5 Repeats-on TNT,babe. Re: [B7L] Babylon 5 Repeats Re: [B7L] Fw: computers and fandom ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1998 00:25:56 -0500 (CDT) From: Ray Kaplan To: Blakes7 List Subject: Re: [B7L] Orac's innards Message-ID: Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII On 20 Jul 1998, Calle Dybedahl wrote: >Judith Proctor writes: > >> > Was there any truth in the rumour that Orac was actually running off >> > an Acorn Atom? (I think the timing is about right.) >> >> Does anybody here know if it's true? > >No Acorn could be seen inside him at Deliverance, and >who had been one of model guys for most of the series didn't mention >it. I think he would have said something if there had been an actual >computer involved. Anyway, a computer to control Orac would've been >gross overkill, as all he was (apart from script and Peter Tuddenham) >was a bunch of blinking lights. I would have to agree with that. Also, looking at Orac I got impression that Orac was an optical computer (or opticomputer). This would explain why we all we see on Orac is blinking lights, and no motherboard (or its futuristic equivalent) for example. An Acorn would not fit in with the concept of the opticomputer. This is probably the wrong angle to look at it since, I doubt that Orac's designers on the show were thinking about this, but I am glad it is consistent. _______________________________________________________________ Ray Kaplan CS Major University of Illinois rckaplan@acm.org Chair of SigVR at ACM@UIUC http://www.ews.uiuc.edu/~rckaplan O- _______________________________________________________________ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1998 16:44:54 +1000 (EST) From: David Henderson To: blakes7@lysator.liu.se Subject: [B7L] Re: Happy Endings Message-ID: Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Kathryn Andersen wrote: > To be less succinct, the ending of S:AAB compares favourably with the > end of Blake's 7, though of course it has a different tone, because > the whole show had a different tone. Ironic, rather than tragic. > Obvious comparison: they're dead, Jim. Well, half of them are Well I guess S:AAB compares in that some of the major players (in which we care about) are killed / maimed / etc. But I found the overall tone (feeling) was still of accomplishment. (They found Kylen(?), won the war, overcame their personal conflicts,...). Where as B7 was just bleak (bloody effective, but still bleak). Nothing was gained by the B7 crew, we were left with nothing to hold up and laud. Ophelia wrote >> tape, literally for months. I'll let you know what I >> think when I finally gather up the courage to watch >> it. >> I havn't watched "Blake" since it was screened on ABC tv. I have the episode on tape, but have not taken it out of the shrink wrapped plastic. Have never felt like it was the "right" moment to rewatch it. Dont know if I am worried that watching the episode again will spoil recollections,... maybe....maybe not. l8r david ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1998 07:44:23 +0100 From: Julia Jones To: Edith Spencer Cc: Blakes7@lysator.liu.se Subject: Re: [B7L] Babylon 5 Repeats-on TNT,babe. Message-ID: In message <19980721044112.5350.qmail@hotmail.com>, Edith Spencer writes > Dont know where Anne is from ( on this list, one has to considerate >of the fact that there are people from all over)but it was my >understanding that B5 was exclusively shown on TNT and TNT satellite. The UK, I suspect, since Anne beat me by a couple of hours to posting about that ad. It was shown on a terrestrial channel (CH4) here. -- Julia Jones "Don't philosophise with me, you electronic moron!" The Turing test - as interpreted by Kerr Avon. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1998 09:23:24 +0100 From: Steve Rogerson To: blakes7@lysator.liu.se Subject: [B7L] Re: Blakes Legend Message-ID: <35B44FFB.97A7372E@mcr1.poptel.org.uk> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; x-mac-type="54455854"; x-mac-creator="4D4F5353" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit ShilLance wrote re Blake's Legend: "Is this video available? Is it any good?" This has been stuck in post production for over a year. The most any of us have seen of it was the trailer shown at Who's 7 in 1996, though I did see a little bit more at an Horizon meeting mid 1997 when one of the guys who was doing it said it would be ready for Deliverance. That didn't happen, and I have no later information. For those who don't know, this is a straight to video production set a few years after the end of the TV series. Peter Tuddenham is in it as Orac and the computer on the new ship (he also plays a minor role in which we get to see him on screen). At one point they were hoping to get Paul Darrow to do a guest appearance, and this was blamed for the hold up. They planned to shoot extra scenes with him in it and edit it into what they've already got. The dealys have been so long there has to be some doubt as to whether it will ever appear, but I've still got my fingers crossed. -- cheers Steve Rogerson Redemption 99: The Blakes 7 and Babylon 5 convention 26-28 February 1999, Ashford International Hotel, Ashford, Kent http://www.smof.com/redemption/ "Get in there you big furry oaf, I don't care what you smell" Star Wars ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1998 09:22:30 +0100 From: Steve Rogerson To: blakes7@lysator.liu.se Subject: [B7L] Babylon 5 repeats Message-ID: <35B44FC5.7A2B2A4A@mcr1.poptel.org.uk> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; x-mac-type="54455854"; x-mac-creator="4D4F5353" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Anne Lane said: "According to an ad and listings in August's Cable Guide the Sci-Fi Channel are showing Babylon 5 from the beginning, starting 3rd August, every weeknight at 9 p.m. Just the right timing for me, as I'm about to register for Redemption but have never watched Babylon 5 (because everyone says you have to start at the beginning!). The ad says "Uncut - See it from the beginning for the first time" - I don't know what this means." When Channel 4 showed the first three seasons they had it pre watershed and had to cut some of the scenes out. One episode (TKO) they initially didn't show at all, but then did at a later slot. The fourth season they showed uncut in a late slot and the fifth season they are showing it on Sunday lunchtime, sometimes cut, and repeated late Monday night uncut. As far as I know the videos are uncut and the first three seasons are all rated either PG or 12, which makes me think Ch4 was being a bit oversensitive. Keep your eyes peeled for the Drazi Sunhawk in Deathwalker (episode nine I think) and a few later episodes. This was the ship that was based on the Liberator, but more curvy and with an orange elongated ball rather than the round green one. Edith said: "Dont know where Anne is from ( on this list, one has to considerate of the fact that there are people from all over)but it was my understanding that B5 was exclusively shown on TNT and TNT satellite." Anne is referring to the Sci-Fi Channel in the UK. All we get on TNT in the UK are old movies. Ray Kaplan said: "There must be mutiple showing in places outside the US since I did read that in the UK the last 5 episodes will start in early August." My understanding is that the UK will get the last five episodes before the US. This has been done before on B5, where some episodes at the end of one season where shown here first. -- cheers Steve Rogerson Redemption 99: The Blakes 7 and Babylon 5 convention 26-28 February 1999, Ashford International Hotel, Ashford, Kent http://www.smof.com/redemption/ "Get in there you big furry oaf, I don't care what you smell" Star Wars ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1998 06:22:42 PDT From: "Don Trower" To: blakes7@lysator.liu.se Subject: Re: [B7L] Re: Shopping for vids Message-ID: <19980721132243.22067.qmail@hotmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain Of limited use but here goes. A shop in Lakeside shopping centre South Essex is selling all videos at 30 % off including the new B7 videos, others include Dr Who, Red Dwarf etc. Called Jonathan Thinner of similar, on the ground floor next at the Western end of the main hall. Don. ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1998 15:26:33 +0100 From: "Alison Page" To: "Lysator" , "space city" Subject: [B7L] Fw: computers and fandom Message-Id: Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit A friend of mine who is mainly into X-files and Hercules (I think) fandom, is taking part in a TV-prog (they are proliferating). Not as interesting as 'Lost In Space' but on the subject of the Internet and fandom in general. > > August 7th, on Sky's [.tv] channel (which used to be their computer channel > - it's only on for a couple of hours a day.) The programme is called "404: > Not Found", would you believe! > Anyway they have given her advance notice that they are going to ask this kind of question. > (1) why do you think sf in general, and trek in particular, has developed > this thing called fandom - why do people feel the need to do more than just > watch the programmes/consume the product > (2) do you think the net has changed fandom and > (3) how? > > I have my own ideas but, as I said, I'm not a trekker and it's trek in > particular they're interested in, so I'm just trying to confirm that I'm > not completely off the wall in what I say. As you see they are rather boringly concentrating on Star Trek, which she doesn't know that much about. I know this is rather off-topic, but if anyone has any thoughts which will help her to frame intelligent replies then let me know and I'll put you in touch, or post to the list of course. Alison ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1998 09:48:05 EDT From: AChevron@aol.com To: blakes7@lysator.liu.se Subject: Re: [B7L] Re: Happy Endings Message-ID: Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit In a message dated 98-07-21 02:45:57 EDT, you write: << But I found the overall tone (feeling) was still of accomplishment. (They found Kylen(?), won the war, overcame their personal conflicts,...). >> I didn't get quite the same feel. It seems to me that the creators were merely trying to end the series by tying off the story threads, while leaving an ending that they could pick back up on if the series were picked up by someone. It was a bit forced for me, with our heroes convienantly split up just in time to meet disparate endings, they introduced an even bigger mystery without resolving it(the exact relationship of the Chigs to Humans), and to me anyways, ending with a grim tone with the final scene. And the AMF at the end of the episode I read as an angry "finger in their face" to the network that essentially killed the series by its time slot and constant pre-emptions. D. Rose ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1998 15:51:30 +0100 From: Steve Rogerson To: Lysator Subject: [B7L] B7 on UK Gold & B5 on Ch4 Message-ID: <35B4AAF2.E2C0B17C@mcr1.poptel.org.uk> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; x-mac-type="54455854"; x-mac-creator="4D4F5353" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit According to Cult Times, these are the B7 episodes being shown on UK Gold in August, though after they got July all wrong I'm not sure how accurate they are. Sat 1 Aug, 9.05am: A8 Duel Sun 2 Aug, 9.00am: A9 Project Avalon Sun 9 Aug, 9.05am: A10 Breakdown Sat 29 Aug, 9.00am: A11 Bounty Also, no B7 video releases were announced for August, so after Orac and Redemption any day now, there are no other confirmed dates. And further to my previous post about Babylon 5 air dates in the UK, Cult Times says Ch 4 is now going to do the same as the US and not show the final five episodes until October and November, which means the 17th episode on 2 and 3 August will be the last in the current run. I rang Channel 4 to confirm this, and their viewers service said they did not confirm anything more than two weeks in advance. So I asked how had Cult Times got that story. They said I should speak to Ch4 press office. I did and they refused to comment. -- cheers Steve Rogerson Redemption 99: The Blakes 7 and Babylon 5 convention 26-28 February 1999, Ashford International Hotel, Ashford, Kent http://www.smof.com/redemption/ "Get in there you big furry oaf, I don't care what you smell" Star Wars ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1998 07:37:43 +0100 (BST) From: Judith Proctor To: Lysator List Subject: Re: [B7L] Babylon 5 Repeats Message-ID: Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII On Mon 20 Jul, Anne Lane wrote: > According to an ad and listings in August's Cable Guide the Sci-Fi Channel are > showing Babylon 5 from the beginning, starting 3rd August, every weeknight at 9 > p.m. > > Just the right timing for me, as I'm about to register for Redemption but have > never watched Babylon 5 (because everyone says you have to start at the > beginning!). > > The ad says "Uncut - See it from the beginning for the first time" - I don't > know what this means. Channel 4 used to edit for violence etc. and I can recall one episode where the whole meaning was lost because they edited out a scene of someone injecting himself with a drug. Judith -- http://www.hermit.org/Blakes7 Redemption 99 - The Blakes 7/Babylon 5 convention 26-28 February 1999, Ashford International Hotel, Kent http://www.smof.com/redemption/ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1998 15:08:17 EDT From: ShilLance@aol.com To: blakes7@lysator.liu.se Subject: Re: [B7L] Re: Happy Endings Message-ID: <47bb5616.35b4e722@aol.com> Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit In a message dated 98-07-21 02:45:57 EDT, David.Henderson@jcu.edu.au writes: << Well I guess S:AAB compares in that some of the major players (in which we care about) are killed / maimed / etc. But I found the overall tone (feeling) was still of accomplishment. (They found Kylen(?), won the war, overcame their personal conflicts,...). >> Actually they didn't win the war, and there was still plenty of personal conflict and unresolved stuff...... ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1998 23:19:27 +0100 From: Anne Lane To: "'Blakes7@lysator.liu.se'" Subject: RE: [B7L] Babylon 5 Repeats-on TNT,babe. Message-ID: <01BDB4FE.9B67B5C0.aplane@tesco.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit On Tuesday, July 21, 1998 5:41 AM, Edith Spencer [SMTP:sueno45@hotmail.com] wrote: > > To All, > Dont know where Anne is from ( on this list, one has to considerate > of the fact that there are people from all over)but it was my > understanding that B5 was exclusively shown on TNT and TNT satellite. > You may want to check that out. And as far started at the beginning, I > got hooked during the middle of season two, so just jmp in- it is > totally cool. Many apologies, should have said I was in the UK. Thanks to everyone for their advice - I shall avoid the film for a while. I guess if they're stripping the series across the week they'll get through it fairly quickly. I'll just have to try to keep up, and stock up on blank tapes because 9 p.m. is also when any decent new programmes get shown on terrestrial TV. Anne ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1998 14:52:32 -0500 (CDT) From: Ray Kaplan To: Blakes7 List Subject: Re: [B7L] Babylon 5 Repeats Message-ID: Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII On Mon, 20 Jul 1998, Anne Lane wrote: >Just the right timing for me, as I'm about to register for Redemption but have >never watched Babylon 5 (because everyone says you have to start at the >beginning!). Definitely, but do it in the order of which the episodes were made, not the pure chronological time line of the story. For the most part it is the same. I think it is totally the same for the actual series, but I wouldn't recommend seeing In the Begining, the first B5 movie, first even though it is the earliest in the story's timeline. It was a good movie, but it gives away a little too much of the mystery during the first few seasons if you saw it before seeing at least the first four seasons. (It was orignially aired between the fourth and fifth seasons in the US.) _______________________________________________________________ Ray Kaplan CS Major University of Illinois rckaplan@acm.org Chair of SigVR at ACM@UIUC http://www.ews.uiuc.edu/~rckaplan O- _______________________________________________________________ ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 22 Jul 1998 08:20:28 +1000 From: Kathryn Andersen To: "Blake's 7 list" Subject: Re: [B7L] Fw: computers and fandom Message-ID: <19980722082028.56382@welkin.apana.org.au> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii On Tue, Jul 21, 1998 at 03:26:33PM +0100, Alison Page wrote: > > (1) why do you think sf in general, and trek in particular, has developed > > this thing called fandom - why do people feel the need to do more than > just > > watch the programmes/consume the product > > (2) do you think the net has changed fandom and > > (3) how? The net didn't create fandom, but the net has allowed more fen, and more geographically displaced fen, to contact each other. Fandom isn't just one person sitting isolated in a room writing analyses and fanfic, fandom is about fans *communicating* with each other. Fen communicate in different circles, in different media; the net is only one of these, it just happens to be the most visible one. But there are fen who still do APAs and newsletters, contribute to fanzines, go to face-to-face club meetings, or conventions. Some fen do more than one of these, and some don't. Some fen just go to conventions (and some of those do see conventions as a "consume the product" kind of thing, alas; a place where they sit and watch videos, buy fanzines, listen to GoHs, but don't actually participate except passively. Alas. They don't know what they're missing.) Some fen never go to conventions. Some fen never join clubs. And so on. But I don't think the *fundamental* nature of fandom has changed with the net, has it? Thing is, the usual thing when a fan discovers fandom is a "Whew! I'm not alone!" feeling. Fen are used to mundanes thinking of them as weird. And maybe that's one reason that fandom is such a close-knit community; we have all felt alone and isolated, and we make up for that with a vengeance when we get together. Not so much an "us against them" thing - because we don't hate mundanes, at *worst* there is a feeling of contempt, but mostly one of indifference. "Mundanes just don't understand." -- _--_|\ | Kathryn Andersen / \ | http://home.connexus.net.au/~kat \_.--.*/ | #include "standard/disclaimer.h" v | ------------| Melbourne -> Victoria -> Australia -> Southern Hemisphere Maranatha! | -> Earth -> Sol -> Milky Way Galaxy -> Universe -------------------------------- End of blakes7-d Digest V98 Issue #198 **************************************