A Children's book that makes me nostalgic

The guys at Plinky.com have given me another thought-provoking prompt.

The book "The Door on the Dragon's Throat" reminds me of our caravan at Ulverstone when I was a kid; Laying on the bunk bed reading books all day. This book had an Indianna Jones feel to it. It may have been my first introduction to Christian Fiction.

Thoughts on the Ellison Star Trek Lawsuit

Entertainment sites have been reporting the recent news that Harlan Ellison, writer of 'City on the Edge of Forever' is suing Pamaount Pictures over the use of elements from his story such as The Guardian of Forever and the character of Edith Keeler.

Harlan Ellison is clearly a very good writer of Science Fiction. 'City on the Edge of Forever' is one of my all-time favourite episodes, and Mr. Ellison was also influential in the groundbreak series 'Babylon 5'.

I do not know the legal situation, or whether Mr. Ellison has any valid claim in this case, but I would like to share my personal thoughts on how I think this should be.

I think that when you contribute writing to a franchise like Star Trek, you are, in a way, partially foreiting your ownership of the story. Mr. Ellison was playing in Gene Roddenberry's backyard. Should Ellison have had to pay Roddenberry for the use of characters such as Kirk and Spock? Once the episode aired, the Guardian of Forever and Edith Keeler became part of Star Trek canon. The story was part of something bigger than itself.

If Mr. Ellison wins this case I believe it will set a disturbing precedent that could kill off the concept of continuity in fiction. No longer will writers or producers dare to make mention of characters or events that took place in previous episodes. It would simply become too expensive.

As an ameteur writer I can understand Harlan Ellison's possessive feelings over 'his babies', but the thought that subsequent writers, be it novels or episodes, would want to reference his story is a testament to the power of his writing.

Maybe I don't fully understand the situation, but that's my thoughts.

Balancing Family and Work

The guys at HighCallingBlogs, FaithInTheWorkplace and Laity Lodge Family Camp are asking the question "How do YOU balance family and work?" , and giving away a free family camp (http://llfamilycamp.org/family-fun-time-giveaway/).

For me, it's a lot of little things. We often think that 'family time' has to be complex organised activities, but I think that everyday activities like getting the kids bathed and ready for bed is just as important. Some of the most special times with my children have been playing rough and tumble games on the floor after dressing them in their pyjamas.

Then there are times like today, when I took the kids for a daddy-day, doing the groceries and playing in the playground, so that my wife could do her university study in peace.

We do of course have special activities. A favourite family activity is taking the kids to the playground, or having a barbecue. As my kids grow older I'm sure we'll come up with other ideas.

Live DVD Review - Skillet: Comatose Comes Alive

I went to a rock concert last night - but I didn't leave my lounge room. I watched Skillet's new live DVD Comatose Comes Alive. I had read good things about it so was quietly optimistic. It comes in a standard CD case along with a CD recording of the live songs. Sometimes in these cases, the DVD can almost be an afterthought, or just an added bonus; but not in this case. Skillet have produced a very professional video with a lot of attention to detail and a good list of special features (video clips of three songs, plus a slideshow and behind the scenes montage).

The camera work was good and suited the tone of the event. I am always envious of those with cameras that can handle the low-light environment of a live event so nicely.

As for the music, well it seems that Skillet songs are just meant to be played live. Each one sounded fantastic. John Cooper lead the band with such energy and good humour. One suprise was the band's new drummer Jen Ledger, who stepped down and sang a solo during one verse of "Yours to Hold". She has a very nice voice which suited the song very well.

Most of the songs were from Skillet's two most recent albums, Comatose and Collide. They did have a brief worship-interlude later in the show and played 'Angels Fall Down' (which has always been a favourite of mine), and they finished with another old favourite 'Best Kept Secret'. (If they had played 'Alien Youth' then my joy would have been complete.)

The christian message was clearly displayed through the concert but done in a way that seemed to be very accesible to a wider audience. I am starting to see how a band like Skillet can flourish on a secular label, without abondoning their roots in Christian music. It is a delicate tightrope to walk but Skillet have handled it very well indeed.

I ended the experience feeling both thoroughly entertained and touched on a deeply spiritual level. This video reminded me why I quickly fell in love with Skillet and named them my favourite band shortly after my wife (girlfriend at the time) introduced me to them.

If you're the kind of person who likes to spend their entertainment budget very wisely, you will find this DVD/CD combo very good value for money.

Well done Skillet!

My favorite line from a Movie.

Having been prompted by the daily question on Plinky.com, I am going to share my favourite line from a movie.

Gillian Taylor: "Are you sure you won't change your mind?"
Spock: "Is there something wrong with the one I have?"

This line shows through Spock's misunderstanding of one of the most basic twentieth century english expressions, how easy it is for people of different cultures to take language and expressions for granted;


but most of all,
it's just plain hilarious.