Dr Who talks like a Pirate?

No, not really, but lots of people are today! 

It's Talk Like A Pirate Day and I did toy with the idea of doing the whole post in 'pirate' but I feared my keyboard would rebell...Pirate-mania has been infecting the high-interwebs with FriendFeed adopting a new logo for the day:

And Ping also taking the talk:

Surprisingly, Google is not entering into the spirit, but are you celebrating today?

Doctor Who Season 4 - on CBC tonight!

He might not be talking like a pirate (or he might - it's not impossible!) but David Tennant does return as Dr Who on CBC tonight at 9.00 PM. I've managed to keep away from all the vast information about this season (it has already aired in the UK) so I can watch it unspoiled. I've booked a place on the sofa, with various kids spaced around, next to and behind, in the traditional Dr Who viewing positions. Very exciting...

Evil League of Evil Applications Office 

The final, Act VI, will be finished and on YouTube this weekend, so I hope you all enjoy that. There's been a mixed response to the competition, so I'll be publishing an enhanced picture tonight, so look out for that. If no-one gets all of them I will do the selection from the entries I had. Don't you want Evil WorldofHiglet to assess your entry to the Evil League of Evil?

Orbis and Battlestar Galactica: in space...

No-one can hear you shout at the screen! (still no spoilers)
Well, the next installment of BSG: the final season went out last night. Being able to watch it as it airs has compensated for the lack of Doctor Who over here, but last night was definitely one of those episodes where I was raging against the machine! The DVD player, that is. And the TV. Yes, while I loved the episode, it didn't make me happy. Not one bit. Remember when Joss used to tear out your heart and make you watch while he danced all over it? In army boots? (I was going to put 'stilettos' but that was a way too disturbing image!) Well it was like the good old days, but worse because now we have to wait another week. Maybe I won't watch, in protest. Even as I typed that I knew it was futile. Of course I'm going to watch. If only they didn't make you care so much! But I suppose that's the whole point. Yep, life's a beach....

And now the good news - I've been Softwired!
When I started the first of the Softwire books by PJ Haarsma, The Softwire Book 1: Virus On Orbis 1, I had to make myself stop because I had lots of real work to do, and that was definitely under the title 'Pleasure'. But as an incentive to myself I had planned to read it yesterday if I got everything done. Now, as anyone with kids on a Pro-D day (where the school is out for teacher training etc) will know, it's not easy to sit, undisturbed. So I read in blocks yesterday, and what a great story! It had me totally transported to Orbis.

It gets into your brain...
After watching Battlestar Galactica it was late but I had to finish the last part of the book - I just couldn't leave it. Now, I don't want to give anything away about the plot. But I can tell you that Mr Haarsma has created fantastically detailed and totally believable technology, time and space for his characters. This isn't gimmicky Sci-fi. Sci-fi is part of the book, but it is driven by the characters and the story, and will have you guessing until the end. And I loved the ending to this. It was moving, unexpected and made me want to read more. The action is very well paced, you care about what is happening to the characters and to their world, and it actually makes you think. For me, that adds up to a Good Read. I couldn't help but imagine it as a film, possibly animated, with the voices of...well, I won't go on because you should really read it for yourself first. And then we can argue about who should play what in the film! Now I have to negotiate with myself for when I can read the next one...

Tweaked and Tweeted
After my perhaps ill-advised blog yesterday, Tabz, the producer and writer (among other things) of Buffy: Between the Lines left a comment about why I should give Twitter a reasonable chance before deciding it's not for me. Well, I have a growing respect for Tabitha the more I find out about her multitudinous work, and so I'm going to take her advice. I'm not sure where this will take me, but that's really the whole point. I'll keep you posted. Or is that Tweeted?!

Do you do Who?

Doctor, that is.
The new season of Doctor Who started in the UK last week and I've been trying to keep away from anything remotely spoiler-y since then. It will probably be some time before it airs over here in Canada and the temptation to sneak a preview here or there is very high. We watched it regularly when we were in England, with the kids in the traditional viewing position of behind the sofa. Another reminder of how much I miss the BBC! A thread on the Doctor Horrible message board reminded me of what happened last Christmas when I decided to treat Hubby to a boxset or two (so we could all enjoy them).

English, eh?
I toddled off to HMV in my local Mall to buy Hubby a present. I couldn't find it out in the shop (store) so I queued at the counter to ask. It was quite near Christmas so it was fairly busy. Eventually it was my turn and the young guy behind the counter asked if he could help me.
"Yes, " said I, in my wonderful British accent. "Do you have any Doctor Who DVD boxsets?"

To which he replied, straight from a bad joke "Doctor Who?"

I resist the temptation to say "Yes, that's it!" and said again "Any Doctor Who DVDs?"

We are both now confused. I don't know if he hasn't understood me (it happens - sometimes people are so engrossed in my 'neat' accent they don't listen to the words) or if, by some freakish accident, he hasn't heard of Dr Who. "We've got Doctor House, if that helps?" he adds, the expression on his face is 'you are so old and foreign I don't even know if you're human, but I'm trying to appear as if I want to help'. I feel like I want to laugh and cry simultaneously.

"No, I mean Doctor Who. It's a series on TV...well, British TV...maybe you don't have it here.." I stumble over my words, knowing that I've completely lost him. "I guess you don't have it over here...." I say, turn around and shuffle out of the shop, feeling vaguely humiliated.

That's why you should only buy things via the Internet.

Softwire arrives!
Like the two Softwire books from PJ Haarsma I've been waiting for that I ordered from Amazon. They've now arrived and I'm really looking forward to reading them later this week. I've already been warned that they are un-put-downable so I've locked them away until Friday, when hopefully my other work will be done. The covers look great and I've sneaked a quick peek inside, which was enough to convince me I had to put them away...another incentive to work more quickly, so I'd better get back to it!