Well, this is beyond awesome. Locus, THE Magazine of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Field, has a review of Masked (that superhero-themed anthology edited by Lou Anders I’ve been strongly urging you all to pick up) in its August issue. It has plenty of nice things to say about the collection and even makes special mention of my story, “Downfall”, which reviewer Rich Horton describes as “nicely twisty […] involving throughout, with some worthwhile surprises.” So swing by your local magazine shop and pick up the latest issue or, better yet, head on over here – http://www.locusmag.com/ – and get yourself a subscription.
I celebrated today by doing something I’ve wanted to do for a long time…
That’s right. Make ice cream sandwiches from scratch! I made the three custard bases this morning churned them this afternoon and popped them in the freezer, then made a batch of chocolate chip cookies just before dinner.
I couldn’t decide between the vanilla and the two chocolates so I ended up having all three along with the accompanying six chocolate chip cookies for sandwiching purposes. Coincidentally, not too long after, I suddenly started feeling under the weather: nauseous, headache, slightly dizzy. I suspect the bean sprouts in the ramen I had for lunch.
Hey, check it out. Bubba’s no ear style makes him look ten dog years younger –
Anyway, yes, he’s the epitome of cool when he’s chillin’ on the couch. But, come walk time, he’s anything but –
Today’s blog entry is dedicated to Narelle. Don’t be a stranger!
Mailbag:
link022 writes: “oris and ancients formed only one before. We have never had the opportunity to be able to observe one of alteran ship.
given that the destiny is the oldest ancient ship we have ever known. Is that possible he could looks be like the ships were before the seperation of ancients and oris.”
Answer: Hmm. Apologies. I’m not sure I understand the question. We did encounter an Ancient ship back in the Atlantis’s third season, the warship Aurora.
link022 also writes: “A generator of supplement was used by o neil to join ida’s galaxy. Is you it as powerful as the E2PZ of the ancients?”
Answer: I would imagine it was as powerful as a ZPM – but not powerful enough to dial Destiny.
Fangsong writes: “Nope, we’re actually going to do a story where Destiny topples off the edge of the universe. Either that or reaches the end of the universe and has to turn around and go back the way they came.” I feel your reply was somewhat ironic but a lot of people are taking it quite litteraly (at least on French forum), should I do so?”
Answer: Really? They think we’re going to end the series by having Destiny topple off the edge of the universe? If anything, it would ride the waterfall at the edge of the universe down through the ravine of time.
Runciman writes: “I know you have the audi which is a nice car do you have an interest in them at all?”
Answer: Unlike Mercedes and BMW, Audi has yet to piss me off so I will continue to purchase their product.
Runciman also writes: “Hows jelly doing now shes had her stiches out? has there been any more improvement.”
Answer: She continues to improve. Although she moves around with obvious discomfort, she is doing more of it.
Runciman also writes: “would there be any possiblility of seeing a vfx screenshot of the whole of the destiny or are you keeping certain parts of it a secret?”
Answer: We’re definitely not holding anything back. If we have a VFX shot of the Destiny, we’ve used it in the show (and are continuing to add shots as well as we head into season two).
Runciman also writes: “or could we see the concept art like the one you released fro episode 10 Justice.”
Answer: I’ll see what I can dig up in the Art Department when I get back.
Runciman also writes: “P.s. Have you ever eaten pigeon or rabbit? both are very nice in pies lol (i’m from the uk its normal here)”
Answer: Yep. Pigeon is a menu mainstay at most high end Chinese restaurants, although they call it squab to throw you off. And my mother makes the best rabbit.
Escyos writes: “Is the Destiny Expedition going to find some supplies of alien coffee, and then become addicted to said alien coffee?”
Answer: Have you hacked into our Season 2 Stories database?
Major D. Davis writes: “1. Just curious, why do you film episodes out of order? Specifically why did you film Visitation out of order?
2. When you film the movies, will it be over hiatus or is it possible shooting (or at least prep) will overlap with SGU?
3. A few months ago you said…. “As I’ve been saying all along, the hold-up in the movies comes not from a lack of desire on anyone’s part. It’s a result of several market factors that will hopefully see a turnaround in the coming months”….. So, did they see a turnaround for the better?
4. MGMs latest Debt extension goes to mid september, so its unlikely they’ll greenlight any projects till then. However, if you received the greenlight for the movies in late September or October, could you still film the movies over SGUs season 2 hiatus?”
Answers: 1. It can be anything from actor availability, timeline for set construction, or scheduling issues for whoever happens to be producing the episode. In the case of Visitation, Brad was producing the episode and since he had already finished Twin Destinies, which he was also producing, he decided to put TD in the #9 slot which gave him time to do a pass on Visitation.
2. No idea.
3. That response was to positive rumblings with regard to the SGA movie. Since then, I haven’t heard anything re: Extinction.
4. Theoretically possible but very, very tight.
Tim Lade writes: “In the past we haven’t really judged the food based on anything other than taste. What would you suggest – as a foodie – to base the judging model around?”
Answer: Well, taste is obviously of paramount importance. I’d also judge the look of the dish (ie. plating) and the dish’s complexity (textural and flavor contrasts, how challenging to prepare, etc.).
steph writes: “Have you read ‘The Time Traveler’s Wife’?”
Answer: I did. I thought the time travel worked well and the ending was great.
Valaur writes: “1. If someone were to use the stones and they had a symbiote or a tok’ra or goa’uld, would the consciousness of that being also be transferred?”
Answer: No idea. I would think the dominant consciousness (ie. the symbiote) would be the one to switch out.
“2. Has Dr. Perry’s condition improved through the use of technology and knowledge acquired by the SGC? Tritonin? Symbiote? Experimental procedures?”
Answer: No. And we’ll be seeing Dr. Perry again this upcoming season.
“3. What are your favorite stories, or preferences, to write for Stargate-related episodes? New civilizations and their culture? Ancients? Character-centric? One-offs? Tok’ra? Jaffa? Arcs? Techno-related?”
Answer: I’ve always preferred the stand-alone episodes. Team heads off-world, encounters a problem, solves it, and heads home. I also prefer the more character-oriented episodes although.
“4. Will we see any hand-held Ancient energy weapons similar to the Zat or wraith stun gun?”
Answer: Possibly.
“5. Will SG: Extinction use the kino? You said in an earlier post that the Kino was originally planned for Atlantis but some difficulties came up and used the MALPs instead, I believe.”
Answer: Nope. No kinos in Extinction.
“6. I’ve read many bloggers who hate the show yet still watch it for some strange reason that bringing an Atlantis cast member or so into SGU for an episode really means that SGU is a sinking ship and are desperate for a ratings boost. Any comment?”
Answer: As I already said, if that was the case, the guest casting would take place in the first ten episodes because those first ten will decide the fate of the show.
“7. When an episode is spun, do you use story boards? And does the person who receives an episode to write require a dexterous hand for drawing? Or is that done by a separate department? For that matter, could you explain how an episode of Stargate goes from the drawing board to our viewing pleasure?”
Answer: Nope, no storyboards, but we do board our stories (write the various beats up on the white board).
Jim of WVa writes: “How did you learn about Alastair Reynolds?”
Answer: I’m a voracious reader, particularly in the field of SF, and you can’t get much bigger in SF than the Banks-Reynolds-Scalzi triumvirate. I’d heard great things about Revelation Space, read it, and loved it.
Adam Rosalky writes: “One question I have for you – will we be seeing Eli get out of that “You Are Here” t-shirt?”
Answer: For sure. Oh, you mean “and into something else”. Unlikely. Actually, no, scratch that. There’s an early season two episode…well, judge for yourself.
victor writes: “1.Is earth basicly deffensless if an attack from the Lucian allience were to occure? or from any other enemy for that matter?”
Answer: There are defenses in place to intercept incoming ships – but they are far less effective than what he had in the past.
“2.If so will the lucian alliance or other enemy make a run for earth in future episodes?”
Answer: Stay tuned. An interesting scenario, no?
“3.Any chance of finding out what happened to the ori followers and there ships in the milkyway following there defeat, in the future?”
Answer: Alas, no plans to revisit the Ori storyline in SGU.
Arctic Goddess writes: “Since I’m taking things easy while I recover from a 10 day hospital stay, I’m reading Stephen King’s “Under The Dome”.
I like Stephen King, although, at 1072 pages, I find him a bit wordy. He seems to have trouble telling a story in 500 pages or less. I know you said you wanted to read this book once it was in paper back. Have you picked up a copy yet?”
Answer: Yep. It’s sitting on my to-read pile – which I intend to dive into just as soon as I’ve finished the 1200+ Essential Ellison.
riley writes: “And why do you assume people with a social conscience don’t practice what they preach?”
Answer: A few do but most are very selective about the sacrifices they make. All I’m saying is I don’t feel like being lectured to by anyone who isn’t willing to walk the walk.
Rex Carter writes: “Hey Joe do you like any british sci-fi like Doctor Who or Torchwood or Ufo?”
Answer: I watched the first two seasons of Dr. Who (Eccleston and Tennant’s first year). I’ve been meaning to check out a few of the later episodes written by Paul Cornell.
Alexander of Houston writes: “I am thinking of a venue in Japan or S. Korea and Tex-Mex cuisine, or some similar “American” Cuisine being the featured food. I need your help, in your opinion as a foodie as well as Akemi’s opinion as a Japanese, would there be a market for that in Japan?”
Answer: Hate to say it but Akemi is dubious. I think it would really depend on the marketing as the Japanese consumer is very finicky yet drawn to exclusives. I recall a Tokyoite telling me that one Starbucks in the neighborhood was always busy while another, only two blocks down, did barely any business at all. The reason? People went to the busy Starbucks because it was busy.
Okay, I know you like the time warp episodes, but you usually only skip a day, not a whole month. 😕
oops.
I know it sounds nasty but I’d actually rather cookies go unbaked… Unless they remain soft. Then again can’t really make a cookie sandwhich. 😉
Thanks for answering my questions…. But I can’t help but feel depressed. It does mean we’ll have to wait till at least next summer for the movies to shoot which means we won’t see movies till 2012 which sucks giant ball-sacks. 🙁 :p Especially considering we should have got them THIS year if MGM didn’t back out of their commitment. Grrrrr. 🙁
Thanks so much,
Major D. Davis
But hey. The past is the past…… Unless someone has a means of passage to an alternate reality or the past… So then I could actually see the movies as they’d be made in another reality… Or I could make all this movie mess never happen by going to the past. 😉
But seriously… The past is the past…. All we have is the future. All we can do is wait, hope, and campaign our asses off. 😉
Thanks so much,
Major D. Davis
>If anything, it would ride the waterfall at the edge of the universe down through the ravine of time
Destiny totally needs a drill. I guess only anime fans would get this but a Gurren Lagann type ending with Destiny shattering Space time with its drill would be beyond awesome, great way to get home too.
Eli could find the core drill somewhere, Matt could be the pilot of the equivlant of Lagann on Destiny.
Blue Aliens could be anti spirals.
Lol. Anyway kinda shocked people are taking your falling off the edge of the universe comment seriously.
> I’m not sure I understand the question
I sorta translated links question a few blog posts back Joe, Link was basically asking if there are any plans to essentially show the Ancients/Oris Spacecraft whilst they were living in the same solar system essentially, you know before the Ancients packed up and left for Milky Way.
>Cookies
Horrible at making these. I never seem to get the mixture the right consistancy. Love eating them mind you.
Awww Jelly!!!
How does it feel Joe, to know you helped Jelly get more mobile again.. gosh she looks so happy!! Like she’s taken years off her age :))
oops I thought that was Jelly lol… those two look so alike..
my bad
Joe – come on! Can you at least send me some cookies???!
Also, Bubba is just too cute! If that’s not ecstasy, I don’t know what is. 🙂
Akemi is adorable. However, I would really like to see some pictures of her lounging around, reading a book or something, instead of just doing chores. 😉
I started reading your story! I really like the character studies so far, but I must admit I’m reading and thinking, ‘Okay…which one is Carl? And which one is Rob? And which is one of your buddies from Montreal?’ The only reason my brain is doing this is because of an episode of NCIS in which McGee writes a book with characters not-so-loosly based on his co-workers…it was rather amusing. 🙂 Anyway, it brings me to this question: When creating a character, how much do you glean from people around you?
I think I asked Mr. Moorcock a similar question one time, too. I think he said something about some of his villains being composites, while others were much more directly based on someone real – like Hitler, and Geo. W. Bush. 😆
das
“Fangsong writes: “Nope, we’re actually going to do a story where Destiny topples off the edge of the universe. Either that or reaches the end of the universe and has to turn around and go back the way they came.” I feel your reply was somewhat ironic but a lot of people are taking it quite litteraly (at least on French forum), should I do so?”
Answer: Really? They think we’re going to end the series by having Destiny topple off the edge of the universe? If anything, it would ride the waterfall at the edge of the universe down through the ravine of time.”
I’m reminded of…
Words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup
They slither while they pass, they slip away across the Universe. Pools of sorrow, waves of joy are drifting through my open mind possessing and caressing me.
Images of broken light which dance before me like a million eyes, they call me on and on across the Universe.
Thoughts meander like a restless wind inside a letter box they tumble blindly as they make their way across the Universe.
Sounds of laughter shades of light are ringing through my open views inciting and inviting me . Limitless undying love which shines around me like a million suns, it calls me on and on across the Universe.
I hate to admit it but I’ve not seen the “kino” devices that a lot of your fans comment on…but am I correct in assuming that they are similar to the device the Uber-Wraith used to keep track of Ronon in the episode “Sateda”?
By the way, is Bubba the only one who obviously has a girlfriend out in the neighborhood?
Hello, my question is this. Will SGU season 2 be less of a angsty, choppy, camera shaking, melodramatic, slow, boring, and filled with unintelligent and unlikeable characters and finally instead be the epic, character driven, exciting, smart, worthwhile show everyone was hoping for?
Other than that, cookies are one of the best things in life.
Hello Joe.
Thanks for answering our questions. I was glad to read that Jelly is more mobile. ;-). I also loved the pics of Bubba.
I picked up season 1.5 on Blu-ray this week, and have been re-watching the episodes. Any plans for any contests or trivia regarding the last ten episodes? I enjoyed the trivia back when you released the first 10 episodes, although I didn’t fair too well, having missed Time when it originally aired.
Well, as always, you, Akemi, and the pups have my best wishes,
Bryan
What chocolate chip cookie recipe did you use? I tend to prefer Anna Olsen’s but I have tried Michael Smith’s before.
Mailbag, check. food pics, check. doggie video, check. Hmm, about the only thing missing are pictures of the hunks on the show(in or out of character) for this to be teh ultimate blog post. And maybe a dash of snark.
Greatly appreciated and I’ll try to find that review. I’m still behind on looking at the hyperlinks from a couple of days ago (it’s 0230, I’ve been up 21 hours, and with luck will get 3 hours of sleep before starting the new day).
How’s the comic book project going? No word in a bit, and I imagine it’s a fairly slow process. Just want to make sure I don’t miss the premiere episode, and that my local comic store carries it.
Thanks as always, and hope the rest of the weekend goes well for you, the dogs, and guests.
I am still hopeful that the movies will get made, it will be great to see some more SG1 and SGA
However i think people dont quite get the mess MGM are in (currently £2.4 billion according to the Daily Mail) . When they won’t greenlight The Hobbit , which is certain to make lots and lots of money (after all the Lord of the Rings made billions) our little SG movies unfortunately pale in comparison….
1 Is destiny looks like the ships before oris and ancients part
2 Shall have we the opportunity to see one of them
3 Is it possible the database of atlantis Could contain the solution of return to earth for the destiny (we have translated everything yet)?
4 Will you do a movie a movie about the fourth alliance?
Just to point out, there aren’t many Ori followers in the Milky Way galaxy anymore, since they used the Ark there at the end of AoT.
And the oldest ship we’ve seen is again in AoT when the Technology branch of Alterans left from Alteran Home Galaxy with their Ark-ish type ship launched from Ortus Mallum.
Hey Joe…
1. Have you ever watched any fan movie about stargate? I know, you aren’t allowed to copy the stories 😉 , but have you ever seen one? And if so…which one? What’s your opinon about such projects?
2. Do you have any plans to appear yourself as a cameo in SGU? Or have you been in there before and we only didn’t see you? 😛
3. Asuming, SG-1 movie will be green-lighted in winter 2010/2011. How long from that moment on would it be, until the movie get’s finished? The first both movies were close to the end of SG-1. I think, now it takes more time?!
Coucou Joseph!!
ça va bien? Moi oui!!!
Aujourd”hui c’est l’anniversaire d’Andria!!!!! =) Que lui avez vous offert?
C’est quoi qu’il y a entre les cookies? un créme? lol vous inventez de ces choses XD…mais je pense que ça doit être très bon.
Lol la video, mon chien est un peu pareil quand on va le prompener il devient tout fou!^^
Une grosse semaine m’attend!, car j’ai de la famille et mon cheri qui viennent à la maison et je vais fêter mes 20 ans (le 4 Aôut)..J’espere pouvoir passé.
Bonne semaine,
gros bisou!!!
Thanks for the pictures, Joe. That looks so good. I made chocolate chip brownies myself the other night. Have a good one.
Well, taste is obviously of paramount importance. I’d also judge the look of the dish (ie. plating) and the dish’s complexity (textural and flavor contrasts, how challenging to prepare, etc.).
So what would you rate my dinner – merde de chien purée de pommes de terre ??
I’d rate it for appearance about a… gosh…. er…. um… 2/10 ??
What are the possibilities of us getting a Destiny Toy
@link022…Well done! Questions are much clearer.
Here is a good and free online text translator provided by PROMT:
http://www.online-translator.com/
Thanks for answering my questions;
Nice to hear about jelly being more mobile.
any possiblity of seeing a stargate seeding ship in season 2?
how far ahead do they travel from destiny?
do you ever play practical jokes on any of the cast on the show?
whats the most outlandish thing youve ever eaten?
Those ice cream sandwiches look great! I’ve made them before but with chocolate cookies/vanilla ice cream.
Das: good luck with those mood swings. Sounds like bipolar disorder to me. I’ve known a few people with that disorder. They are brillant but fragile people.
We went to see Inception and Wow!
Cute picces!
Hey Mr Mallozzi, thought I’d ask a few q’s after reading your blog for oh so many years.
1. Will we see anymore of those great music montages in SGU season 2? (Unlike most, I was a big fan)
2. This may be a bit cheeky, but any chance of a Stargate Universe set tour video? Like the ones you did a few years back. Found them fascinating.
Many thanks for the great blog. Given me many hours of entertainment. Keep up the great work.
James
Crazy, I was over at my sister’s house on saturday night and we also made some cookies! Then we discussed making ice cream sandwiches out of them, but by the time we decided and she got the ice cream there were no cookies left…..whoops.
@Randomness: LOL, a Gurren Lagann like live action scifi show would be just beyond awesome :D. I was more imagining a Discworld crossover, with all the “riding the waterfall at the edge of the universe down through the ravine of time” :D.
Hi Mr M!
Am burning through Masked! What a great Anthology. I am particularly taken with The Non-Event. Great story really well told.
With both Jason M and Joe F both within 4 hours drive from where I type, I feel Atlantis is on my door step! Any chance you could work in Ireland in any tweaking to Extinction??
Hope all well with you.
Best from Ireland.
S’n’T
@ Tammy Dixon – Hey, today I’m great! Even had a normal convo with normal people. 🙂 I’ll be fine – I was just in a terrible funk yesterday.
das
Puppy vid! A giant mailbag! And yesterday, a photo of the elusive Paul! You’re really spoiling us now, Sir Mallozzi! 😀
I really hope MGM gets its act together soon…I would LOVE to see Extinction and Revolution!
Hey fans, let’s band together and buy this failing company… how many of us putting in $40 each would it take to make a Stargate movie?
I know there’s about 106,161 people out there ready to spend that on Atlantis without batting an eye (that’s the week 1 sales data for the Atlantis S5 DVD!) and I’m sure there’s a lot of crossover for SG-1 as well…. just saying… 😉
Eat Rabbit,Pigeon????EEEEUUUUU……JUST SAYING
Joe,
When you get a chance, you need to check out Natalie Tran’s video blog on Youtube.com:
Jim
Wait, Narelle‘s leaving?! BLARG. That teaches me to skip the comments section. I’m a bad regular.
Take care of yourself on your travels, Narelle! These days, with the Internet practically everywhere, maybe you’ll have more chances of coming online and commenting here than you think; if/when you do get the chance, don’t forget to drop by for a visit!
We’ll miss you!
—
In other news, I just got another wisdom tooth removed. Add another BLARG to that as well. Anyway, the problem isn’t the procedure itself or the constant annoying pain (I refuse to take painkillers for these things), but the food stuffs that will inevitably end up in the wound. I’m fine with the procedure. I’m fine with the pain. What I’m NOT fine with is the infection that could result from having bits of food in the wound! It’s so frustrating! You don’t want to rince too much since that could dislodge the blood clot that’s keeping that wound from bleeding all over again, but then sometimes those bits of food just don’t want to come out of there! Gaaaahhhh!
So, I think you can understand why those pics of no-doubt-incredibly-sweet-and-delicious ice cream sandwiches is driving me nuts. 😛
Hey, so you’ve only watched up to Season 2 of the New Who? That’s a shame, because the series get progressively better from there, IMHO. Well, not sure about Season 4 since I haven’t seen it yet (will soon though), but Seasons 3 and 5 are pretty much completely Awesome. The new Doctor played by Matt Smith is brilliant. You really need to see it, Joe. Seriously. See it. Seeee iiiit.
See it see it see it see it see it see it see it see it see it see it see it see it see it see it see it see it see it see it.
Finally, a bunch of us at Gateworld are participating in a thread started by fellow blog regular Major D. Davis that basically retells SGU Season 1 in twitter form. I think it’s brilliant. Check it out:
Link
In the forums we were discussing the design philosophy of the Ancients and the Ori, wondering what a ship designed by a civilization with both sides would look like. Some people are wondering if the Destiny is an example ofa ship design in which the common culture designed it or was it designed essentially after the split was complete.
.
First, thanks for the great work on Universe! My wife rolls her eyes and groans whenever I watch a DVR’ed episode of SG-1 or Atlantis, but she likes Universe and will actually watch it with me!
After watching the sequence in Air part one where they are retracing the Destiny’s flight path, it looks like they have passed through seven galaxies. Assuming that Destiny is over a million years old, it seems safe to say Destiny’s FTL technology is much less capable than current Asgard hyperdrives – it appears that Asgard hyperdrives were able to cross the distance between the Asgard home galaxy and the Milky Way in a matter of hours (Unnatural Selection). With the advanced Asgard hyperdrive technology Earth now has, wouldn’t an Earth ship be able to reach Destiny by a voyage of a year or so?
this is perfect, i have just made brownine’s for my GF, she really liked it, and she read this article..
That make her feel very special.