I remarked today (in an e-mail to our corporate helpdesk) that networking isn’t really my expertise, which is something of an understatement.

In truth, I have a very well-defined method of fixing my LAN. Specifically, I disconnect and reconnect the piece of equipment giving me the headaches. If that doesn’t fix the problem, I systematically restart every piece of equipment on the network. If that doesn’t help, I mutter a few choice words and begin disconnecting and reconnecting every other device on the network. When that fails to work, I call a friend to come up and help.

Next, I’ll share my sure-fire two-step method for making your computer run as good as new without paying a repair bill. (First, get a new computer.)

(Apologies to Steve Martin)

A recovering Star Trek-aholic, my respect for Brannon Braga isn’t exactly high to begin with, but I don’t think that I’m completely off base in thinking that some aspects of his new show, Threshold, are a bit familiar:

In Threshold, Carla Gugino stars as Dr. Molly Caffrey, the woman who wrote Operation: Threshold, a contingency plan that outlines what to do in case of an alien threat. When a cargo freighter discovers an extraterrestrial craft, Threshold is put into motion, and Caffrey must pull together a “red team” to investigate.

…

“I liked the concept that she wrote this contingency plan about what if an alien intelligence came to Earth and it was hostile,” he said. “This plan was purely theoretical, and one day the government calls her and says it’s really happening. So that her ‘What if?’ scenario becomes a ‘What now?’ scenario. And she really has to start planning this s–t, because it’s really happening.”

So… An alien craft is discovered in the ocean, and a scientist who came up with a theoretical response to such an event is called in to help deal with it. I can’t help but wondering, has Braga ever read any Crichton? Sphere, perhaps?

I’m not saying I think it’s wrong for Braga to repeat those elements — they don’t seem central to the plot, and alone don’t constitute any kind of rip-off of Crichton’s novel — but it does seem odd that he’d talk to Sci-Fi Wire and brag about those elements that aren’t particularly original.

Newton Emerson wrote a piece titled “Ill wind may not blow to the Whitehouse” in the Irish Times. Newton himself says about the piece, “I’d like to mention that I’m not supporting Bush’s typically atrocious performance here either.
I just think a lot of the facts are being overlooked in a gleeful, half-arsed media stampede to slap it up him.”

That’s been my stance, largely, though my zeal at trying to get people to stop overlooking the facts has largely been interpreted (and understandably so) as trying to absolve Bush of any mistakes.

From Ill Wind…:

As the full horror of this sinks in, thousands of desperate columnist are asking how a civilised city can descend into anarchy.

The answer is that only a civilised city can descend into anarchy.

I recommend reading the whole thing.

( þ The Smallest Minority, Samizdata )

The Characters of Firefly – Part 2

The character considered to be the most “respectable” in the Firefly universe is Inara Serra (). Inara is a registered “Companion”, essentially a legal, high-class escort/prostitute. She rents one of the ship’s two shuttles, and Inara’s presence on the ship provides some degree of respectability to the ship as a whole. She earns Serenity access to some planets where she otherwise wouldn’t be permitted to dock.

Despite the fact that he doesn’t think much of her choice of occupations (he’s been heard to remark that his job might not be legal, but at least it’s honest), Mal is obviously attracted to Inara and vice versa. Both of them are incredibly stubborn about admitting this attraction, though.

Mal used Inara to try to make the preacher, Shepherd Book (Ron Glass), uncomfortable when he first arrived on the ship as a passenger. Book serves as an interesting foil for Mal, who turned his back on God after the loss at the Battle of Serenity.

Other than the fact that he’s spent the last several years in an Abbey, little is known about Book’s life before becoming a Shepherd. He’s shown a remarkable knowledge of firearms and criminal activities, and was treated with some deference after being taken to an Alliance cruiser for emergency medical care. Other characters have noticed these oddities, but the Shepherd hasn’t seen fit to explain them.

Jayne Cobb (Adam Baldwin) is the crew’s tough guy. He was talked into joining the crew when the group he was working for attempted to rob Serenity‘s crew. Mal convinced him he was being paid too little, and Jayne switched sides when Mal promised him a fair wage — and his own bunk.

Though Jayne appears to have some affection for Kaylee and some degree of loyalty to Mal (He only failed to take the bribe offered him in the pilot episode because the money “wasn’t good enough.” He promised Mal that the day the money was good enough would be an “interesting day”.), he was convinced to betray River and Simon by the Alliance-offered reward. That failing got him nabbed by the Alliance as well as the Tam siblings, and nearly got him killed by Mal.