Category Archives: Uncategorized

TV Review – Mad Men Series Finale (2015)

SPOILER ALERT

What did you think of the Mad Men Series Finale?

I like it when the fates of characters are spelled out.  I know there are some who are ok with it when things are left up in the air but personally, when I’ve invested time in a series, I like to know what happens with these characters I’ve spent time watching.

The series finale of Mad Men provided closure (and surprisingly happy endings) for the main characters (well, except Betty.  Poor Betty).

The look of complete and unrelenting sadness on Don’s face when Peggy asks Don “What did you ever do that was so bad?” and he explains it…that pretty much captures the whole series.

Sooner or later, bad actions catch up with the actor.  Cheating was fun and all but faced with the fact that his philandering means that he won’t be able to be there for Betty, the woman he loves, during her terminal illness forces him to fully accept the full weight of what he’s done.

We’re led to think Don might commit suicide but the story ends…with a smile.

Catharsis.  The assumption (I assume) is Don forgives himself.  It’d be nice to know what he’s going to do next, but at least he’s come to terms with his past and is willing to forgive himself and move on.

It’d be nice to know if he actually does move on and live a fruitful life from hereon but I suppose shows can’t last forever.

Thanks Mad Men.  You will be missed.

Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

An (Overly Simple) Explanation of the Difference between Science Fiction and Fantasy

For all nerds who want to know the difference between sci-fi and fantasy, although technically, if you don’t already know the difference, you might not be a nerd.

Jeremiah Kleckner's avatarJeremiah Kleckner

I had a conversation with an author friend of mine about this yesterday.  There are differences between science fiction and fantasy, but few understand how to explain those differences.

Definitions

Dictionary.com defines Science Fiction as “aformoffictionthatdrawsimaginativelyonscientificknowledgeand speculationinitsplot,setting,theme,etc.”

Meanwhile, Wikipedia states that “Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary plot element, theme, or setting.”

Both definitions are adequate enough.  However, the most important factor in distinguishing the difference between the two is also the simplest.

The (Overly Simple) Explanation

It is all in how the author explains the characters and the situations.

Don’t believe me?  Try this…

519a0-hulk-scatena-la-sua-rabbia-in-una-scena-del-film-l-incredibile-hulk-61199Hulk steps out onto a street and throws a car.  He can do this because his cells are juiced with gamma radiation.  He’s a science fiction character.

Thor_Lifts_BoulderThor steps out…

View original post 146 more words

Ask the Alien – 4/19/15

Hey 3.5,

Just a reminder ALIEN JONES is taking your questions and making the Earth a smarter place one answer at a time.

bookshelfbattle's avatarBookshelf Battle

Previously on Ask the Alien:

Alien artifacts and diseases!

Pixels!

And now Ask the Alien continues…

Greetings Earth Losers.  The greatest and most humble mind of the universe, here to answer your questions and save you all from your own incompetence.

Sigil of House Jones

BOOKSHELF Q. BATTLER:  AJ!  It’s a real humdinger of a week here on Bookshelf Battle!  We have three, count ’em, a whopping 3 questions for you!

ALIEN JONES:  Holy Farzing Shazbo.  Have you been bribing winos off the street again?

BQB:  No!  They’re people!  Actual real people!

The first question this week comes from Mei-Mei of jedibyknight.com who asks:

“Lord Alien, love your house sigil/motto. Can you tell us about one of your distinguished ancestors of House Jones? Or one of the crazy ones, either way.”

Gadzooks.  That stupid sigil.  Who knew when I signed up to be a guest contributor for this blog I’d be required to participate…

View original post 1,269 more words

Ask The Alien – 4/12/15

ALIEN JONES TAKING YOUR QUESTIONS!

Bloggers! Writers! Self publishers! My 3.5 readers can be yours!

Alien Jones, the most intelligent being in the cosmos, has chosen Bookshelf Battle as the vessel to spread intergalactic knowledge throughout Earth, considered to be the most primitive planet in the universe.

Help Alien Jones help us. Ask him a question and he might just promote your book, blog, project etc in his answer – his column comes out on Sundays on bookshelfbattle.com

bookshelfbattle's avatarBookshelf Battle

ALIEN JONES:  I really don’t want to do this.

BQB:  Will you just shut up and put on your suit of armor and helmet?

ALIEN JONES:  No.  I hail from the most intelligent species in the universe.  We cured cancer, heart disease, and excessive gastrointestinal distress.  I’m not going to walk around like I’m in a damn Renaissance Faire.

BQB:  Please?  It’ll spike my readership from 3.5 to 10.12.

ALIEN JONES:  Sigh.  Fine.

Sigil of House Jones Sigil of House Jones

Verily, forsooth and so forth.  It is I, Lord Alien of House Jones.

ALIEN JONES:  Lord Alien of House Jones?  Seriously?

BQB:  Will you?  Please?  OK?  Seriously.

Sigh.  Fine.  Lord Alien of House Jones here, taking your questions in my ongoing effort to raise your planet out of its exceptionally stupid status.

Apologies that my column has been out of commission for a couple of weeks.  Luckily, my memory receptors have not forgotten…

View original post 625 more words

Making the Case for Self Publishing

The Writer’s Manifest discusses an interesting article about self-publishing – the stats really make the case for giving self-publishing a shot.

LynnPerretta's avatarThe Writer's Manifest

I’m going to share a really great post from another blog.

Should you follow the traditional or self publishing path? Numbers point the way.

View original post 251 more words

BQB and The Yeti: Buddy Cops

Kind of amazed that #ReplaceSongLyricWithYeti is taking off…keep it going, 3.5 readers!

bookshelfbattle's avatarBookshelf Battle

ANNOUNCER: This Fall, there’s a new duo of law men in town:

BQB:  Yeti!  Where did you put the evidence from the Coopatelli Murder investigation?

YETI:  Um, you mean I wasn’t supposed to eat it?

BQB: (Arms folded in a stern manner)  Yeti!

(Cue canned laughtrack)

ANNOUNCER:  You’ve heard of good cop, bad cop?  Try bad cop, hairy cop!

BQB:  Start squealing, stool pigeon, or we’ll run ya’ in downtown, see?

SUSPECT:  I’ll talk!  I’ll talk!  :::Sneezes uncontrollably:::  Just get that big white dog man away from me!  He’s shedding like crazy and I feel like every breathe I take I’m consuming 5 pounds of hair!

YETI:  10 pounds, but who’s counting, comrade?

ANNOUNCER:  They threw out the rule book a long time ago.  These two play by their own set of rules.

CAPTAIN:  (pounds fist on desk) – Damn it, BQB and the Yeti!  Ever since that stunt you two…

View original post 193 more words

Why I Went from Represented Author to Self-Published Author

An interesting perspective from an author who went from traditional to self publishing…

Ask the Alien – 3/22/15 – Pixels

Alien Jones – taking your questions and promoting your books, blogs, self published indie writing, etc. Ask the Esteemed Brainy One a Question, he might promote your work in his answer. BQB’s 3.5 readers will be yours!

Submit questions by midnight Fri to be featured in his Sunday column.

bookshelfbattle's avatarBookshelf Battle

Greetings Earth Losers.  Alien Jones here to answer your questions and The Esteemed Brainy One
pump your planet full of extraterrestrial intelligence.

Why?  No offense, but your planet is dumb.  Very dumb.  There are no words to express its level of dumbositude.  So very, very, very dumb.

This week I answer a question from none other than Blogger-in-Chief, Bookshelf Q. Battler, who continues to be a Yeti hostage:

Alien Jones!  BQB here.

Pixels – WTF?

WTF indeed, BQB.  WTF indeed.

Feast your vision receptacles on this trailer, insignificant humans:

Pixels Trailer – Sony Pictures Entertainment

Coming to a theater near you this summer…assuming the North Koreans are cool with it.

To elaborate on BQB’s “WTF” I will ask and answer questions I assume are on the minds of this blog’s 3.5 readers:

Q.  In Pixels, 1980’s era humans place a time capsule on the Moon which contains, among other examples of Earth culture, 1980’s video games…

View original post 560 more words