Month: August 2022

The Four Fundamental Forces of the Universe walk into a bar…

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn Science

I want to talk about the four fundamental forces in the universe. Why? Well this has been a terrible idea of mine for some time now, so I was thinking, “Why delay it any longer?”

Before we can get to the main event, we need to establish what a fundamental force is and why would anybody care. There are many different types of forces that homo sapiens have discovered and identified over the years, such as the normal, friction, air resistance, spring, elastic, and buoyancy force, and many, many more. Sadly we still have not accessed the Speed Force, though several speedsters could be of assistance.

To the best of my understanding, all of the known forces are some form of either pushing and/or pulling. Because of this, and just like how scientists can trace living species back to their ancient ancestors, forces can be traced back as well.

This means one force is connected, related, or linked to another force, until you can trace them all back, to a point where the action being done, can’t really be explained any simply or easier; thus making it a fundamental force of the universe: that we know of. Someone with a lot more letters after their name than me, would probably be able to give you, the curious reader, a better explanation for this; but alas, you have me.

Just like the title of the blog indicates, there are four fundamental forces in the universe, that govern the laws of interactions. In no particular order, though some may feel like they are more important than others, the fundamental forces are electromagnetic, strong, weak and gravity.

Just like unpacking some IKEA furniture and you realise there are no instructions, you ask yourself, “Now what?” Ok, let’s look at the forces and try to understand what they are and how they fit into the universal jigsaw puzzle.

Image by Shafin Al Asad Protic from Pixabay

Electromagnetic Force

Just like Batman is known as the Dark Knight, the electromagnetic force is also known as the electromagnetic interaction. So what does it do when its not at home mowing the lawn?

The electromagnetic force seems to be the Swiss Army knife of physics, because it is responsible for a lot. It is a long range force that is either attractive or repulsive, though it depends on the charges that it is dealing with, which will be negative or positive.

This is the force inside an atom that keeps electrons in orbit around the atomic nucleus. The electromagnetic force also creates magnetic and electric fields, electromagnetic waves, chemical bonding, and visible light. It’s pretty cool when you think about it, well at least to me.

Strong Force

The strong force, the strong interaction, and the strong nuclear force, are all the different names it is known by; though their ex would have some creative names as well.

There is something to be said about doing one thing, but doing it really well. The strong force does one thing, but if it was bad at it, well…the universe and our world, would be a very different place.

The strong force operates on the subatomic level, namely in atomic nuclei. Inside the nucleus of an atom (except for hydrogen), protons have a positive charge, while neutrons have a negative charge.

You all know what happens when you try to bring two magnets together with the same charge; instead of attraction, they repel or push away from each other. So imagine that scenario with two positively charged protons, inside the nucleus of an atom.

Because the protons both have the same charge, they both should repel each other. But they don’t, do they? If they did, atoms could not form, along with stars, dogs, water, turnips, carbon dioxide, and people. But this doesn’t happen, so why?

That’s right, the strong force is actually strong enough to overcome the protons’ repulsion of each other, and bind them to the neutrons. But that’s not all, the strong force also binds the quarks inside the protons and neutrons together. The strong force has one very attractive job1, but it does it really, really well, just like the Flash.

Weak Force

Alright, let’s march on to the next force: the weak force, aka the weak interaction, or the weak nuclear force.

You may think the weak force has something to do with a geek or nerd using free weights, but you would be wrong. The weak force is actually about decay. Radioactive decay to be correct.

Just like the strong force, the weak force operates within an atom, but on a much smaller scale. Basically, through the use of the weak force, a proton can be changed into a neutron, but also inversely; which to me is just mental. This process is a form of radioactive decay known as beta decay, which is where particles are pushed out of the nucleus, as quarks change their “flavour.”

The weak force actually helps one element change into a new element, which is what happens with nuclear fission in nuclear reactors, and nuclear fusion in the core of the Sun. Now imagine if we didn’t have the weak force? To me, that is a horrifying thought; just like Sour Cream and Chives.

Gravitational Force

And so we have reached the fourth and final, and quite possibly the most famous fundamental force; gravity or the gravitational force. This is quite interesting, because of all of the fundamental forces, gravity is the weakest.

Gravity is a long range attractive force, that exists between two objects that contain mass. Gravity not only can describe the motions of objects and help growth of life forms on Earth, but also objects like planets, stars, black holes, and galaxies.

Gravity basically just wants to pull or bring mass together. When working on or talking about the subatomic world, gravity has little or no effect on this region of reality, which is where the other three fundamental forces come into play.

There are four footnotes I need to add to my badly explained blog.

1.) When discussing the fundamental forces, many contemporary scientists prefer to combine the electromagnetic force with the weak force, to become the electroweak interaction or electroweak force. This is because they are viewed as two sides of the same coin.

2.) If you have ever heard the phrase, Grand Unified Theory, it’s actually a particle physics model where the electromagnetic, strong, and weak forces combine into one single force. However after saying that, we can dial it up to 11 for the next footnote.

3.) There are terms like, Superforce, Unified field theory, and the Theory of everything, are; at least to me, different ways to describe all four fundamental forces and merge them together, to create one unified force. This force would also incorporate quantum mechanics and the general theory of relativity.

Electromagnetic!

Strong Nuclear!

Weak Nuclear!

Gravity!

Go, Superforce!

By your powers combined, I am Captain Superforce!

Captain Superforce, he’s our hero,
Gonna take ignorance down to zero,
He’s our powers amalgamated,
And he’s fighting on science’s side

Captain Superforce, he’s our hero,
Gonna take ignorance down to zero,
Gonna help him to educate,
Bad guys who like to lie and hate

“You’ll pay for this Captain Superforce!”

We’re real scientists,
You can be one too!
Because learning about the universe is the thing to do,
Disinformation and denial is not the way,
Hear what Captain Superforce has to say:

“THE POWER TO LEARN IS YOURS!!”

That would be a kick arse kids science anime show.

4.) When discussing the fundamental forces, the Standard Model of particle physics is crucial to this. It’s like the chips are physics, the salt are the fundamental forces, and the vinegar is the Standard Model. I will talk about the Standard Model and how it connects to the fundamental forces, one day, but not this day. That is another blog, for another Monday.

Hopefully that was easy to read and understand, so I’m praying I didn’t get too many things wrong. Anyway, that’s it for me. I have finally started watching Star Trek: Discovery, so I need to get back to it. Thanks for reading, walk your dog and I’ll see you next Monday.

1 Pun very much intended.

21.1 km of regret

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn People

I want to talk about 21.1 km. Why? Well 21.1 km is the distance for a half marathon, and I’m starting to wonder how many of them, my body and mind can actually handle.

Just like the Lighthouse of Alexandria, let’s bring some illumination to this small discussion. The words run and fun, are not generally used in the same sentence; other than describing how going for a run, is not fun.

As a way to pass the time as I travel around the Sun, I like to go running. Sorry, I meant to say, I suffer running. Honestly though, I actually enjoy it for some twisted and strange reasons. Whether its for a 5 km or 10 km run, I get a lot of happiness by moving slightly faster than walking.

Sometimes if I can drag my old tired arse of out bed, and if UMC1 and UMC2 manage to stay asleep, I get to go running before work; or sometime in the weekend. I won’t go on about it too much, but running is pretty important to me. It really makes me happy, like watching videos about pandas failing at basic stuff.

Anyway, this has led me to enter different running races over the years, from 5 km to 21.1 km. I sound like a loser when I say this, but I never enter them to win; mainly because I’m too slow and never could, but in reality, its all about actually finishing and trying to improve. Maybe.

I ran my first half marathon in 2010, and I regret not running them sooner. I had always been nervous and afraid about running a half marathon, so I just kept telling myself that I couldn’t do it and like the citizens of the Capitol, Panem, I kept believing that lie.

This stopped when I realised I really needed to know if I could go the distance; pun very much intended. I did some form of training nearly every day for six months, leading up to the run….and to my utter shock, I finished it quite well; for me at least.

I would like to point out that during this period of my life, I was single, with no children and no dog. Another way to look at it, was that I had a lot of time on my hands.

Image by Th G from Pixabay

Fast forward 12 years, and I’m married, living with UMC1, UMC2, the hardest working Bichon Frise in the country, and one big fat mortgage. So with my running, I’m a lot older and slower now. This brings us to a few weeks ago where I ran my first half marathon in over a year.

This is because of everybody’s least favourite virus, COVID-19. A lot of races have been cancelled over the last two years, so my training for them has been pretty awful.

Because of the length of time between races, I had forgotten some things about running a half marathon. Far better and faster runners than me, will have a different set of insights into 21.1 km of regret.

  • Depending on the layout of the course, you could be running several laps around it. This means at some point, the elite runners will pass you, like Tenya Iida from My Hero Academia, and you feel like you’re standing still. Awesome.
  • Runners that are blatantly older than you, will breeze past you as you think, “It’s ok, they are allowed to pass me. They’re older and have experience than me.”
  • Runners that are blatantly younger than you, will breeze past you as you think, “It’s ok, they are allowed to pass me. They’re younger and fitter than me.”
  • At every kilometre mark, you are calculating what your projected finish time will be, and you’re quite pleased with it. However at the 15 km mark, you have the gut-punching realisation, that you are sadly going to go over your projected time.
  • Running behind someone with a ponytail, can be very interesting. The ponytail is swishing from side to side, and after a few minutes staring at it; and because you are thirsty, hungry, and tired, you are quickly hypnotised by it.
  • Trying to drink from a paper cup while running, sucks. You drink 40%, spill 40% on the road, spill 10% on your hand, and spill the final 10% on your face.
  • Around the 15-16 km mark, your legs can’t decrease or increase speed anymore; you are stuck at that speed for the rest of the race.
  • You don’t talk to anybody, because that will use precious oxygen that your lungs need.
  • You have a honest conversation with yourself as you’re running: You remind yourself that you’re not 18 years old anymore, and you are never doing this again.
  • You start dreaming of the delicious food you will eat, after finishing the race, only to realise that you have to actually finish the race first.
  • You begin to question all of your life choices that have led to this moment.
  • With every step that you run, the road/track is slowly sapping away your energy.
  • The idea hits you that you’re an idiot. You’re paying for the privilege to punish yourself by running 21.1 km. What a moron.
  • At the end of the race, you are so happy that the pain has finished as well. Doubt it!
  • For the next 2-3 days, you will have difficultly sitting down, standing up and walking. Don’t even think about kneeling!
  • You start walking like a penguin; so its more like a waddle.
  • Your spouse is often conflicted about your post-race condition: on one hand they are quite supportive and sympathetic towards you, but on the other hand, they are trying in vain to suppress their laughter at your moans and groans, as you try to dress yourself.
  • As you register for the next race, you convince yourself that this one will be better than the last one; even though, you know you are lying to yourself.

I’m a slow learner, because I’m running the Dunedin Half Marathon in three weeks. What an idiot, so I’ll let you know how it goes. Anyway, thanks once again for reading, walk your dog, stay away from Sour Cream and Chives, and I’ll see you next Monday.

Let’s Read Some Creative Negative Sandman Reviews

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn Television

I want to talk about Netflix’s new show, The Sandman; but the negative reviews in particular. Why? For those of you that don’t already know, and without launching into another one of my stupid speels, I’m a fan of Dream; his dysfunctional family; and of the Dreaming.

Obviously The Sandman is based on the comic book of the same name, and with every and any adaptations for television or film, there will be some changes, whether they are subtle, small, large or can’t even recognise the original material anymore. New and old fans of the original content, but also viewers of the adaptation, will voice their opinions and reviews of it. I meant, that’s what the internet is for: to fight with people over fictional characters.

Well Scott, what’s that got to do with the price of milk? Great question, so here’s the answer. I don’t have Netflix, because I’m just not organised enough to have it, plus I’m not cool enough. That being the case, I haven’t seen The Sandman. Yet. Hope springs eternal though.

Image by tomasi from Pixabay

However that has not stopped me from watching videos from the show, and reading reviews about it. This of course finally brings me to the point of this self-opinioned geek rant; when it comes to The Sandman and many other properties that I love, I am very bias.

So when someone starts talking smack about things that I love or have an interest in (whatever it is), I listen. I don’t automatically dismiss the negative remarks, except for Salt and Vinegar. That’s a hill I will die on.

Anyway, I always like to listen, watch, or read someone’s opposite opinion or review on things that I love. Basically, its so I can determine if there is any truth to what they are saying, because I may actually agree with them; or if they are just talking through their arse.

Because of this idiotic philosophy, may I present some of the most creative negative reviews of The Sandman, that the internet has got to offer, but also the best ones that I can actually find.

REMINDER:

1.) I have not seen The Sandman. Yet.

2.) Everybody is entitled to their own opinion. 1

Sweet? Awesome let’s do this!

Rotten Tomatoes: (Accurate for 15th August 2022)

87% Tomatometer

80% Audience Score

Kelly Lawler: USA Today
5th August 2022

Excruciatingly slow and dull if not outright boring, “Sandman” is a perplexing failure. The stories that make up the comic-book epic are sewn together haphazardly and confusingly, never building to discernible arcs and not even broken down into interesting stand-alone episodes. The series is a pile of stories and moods randomly tossed on top of each other.

Ben Travers: indieWire

5th August 2022

The Sandman isn’t an arduous watch — it churns out curious cast members or creative concepts regularly enough to stir a kind of baffled fascination. But absent a beating heart and focused mind, it is easily forgotten.

Nick Schager: The Daily Beast

5th August 2022

Neil Gaiman’s adaptation of his celebrated graphic novel series stars Tom Sturridge as a god-like being out for revenge. It’s a shame that his character is so dull.

Ezequiel Boetti: Otroscines.com

5th August 2022

With grave and sepulchral dialogues, a protagonist with less charisma than the sand he seeks, and a convoluted build-up, make this series the victim of its own ambition of transcendence.

John Doyle: Globe and Mail

9th August 2022

This time, a great deal of time and money was spent on 10 episodes for Netflix, all of it scandalously wasted. It is a destination not worth the journey; it is sleep-inducing piffle.

IMDb: (Accurate for 15th August 2022)

7.9/10 rating

tommiewommie: 1/10 rating

5th August 2022

Is this a joke? The acting is great, I mean, nothing bad there! It’s not as bad as Resident Evil but damn it is still very bad. The entire story is just horrendous. The CG and make-up is done by a toddler apparently. Please give me back my time. Or sleep.

xwiibmdn: 3/10 rating

6th August 2022

Not very interesting. It is slow and predictable. And súper woke. I really wanted to like it but unfortunately didn’t. Maybe after reading some many amazing reviews I got all too excited about it.

bmesser: 2/10 rating

8th August 2022

I was kind of looking forward to seeing this. I’ve read a number of Gaimans book and liked them. The Sandman however was a hodge podge of ideas bolted together with little central theme to connect them all together. They should have stopped at episode 6 which was by far the best story. After that it got even more ridiculous and I ended up fast forwarding through the last 3 episodes. I won’t be watching the second series.

jagkuar: 1/10 rating

13th August 2022

You know a show is so bad when even the trailers/writing insults you. I don’t know who the writers are trying to target but it’s not for those with no patience for stupidity.

Yeva-22652: 2/10 rating

14th August 2022

Direction, dialog, acting, set design and cgi – all so bad it hurts to watch. I absolutely love the comics I always felt it would be difficult to adapt for the screen but this is just tasteless. I must say I enjoyed reading bad reviews more than enjoyed the show.

Other sources:

Daniel Joyaux: https://www.rogerebert.com

5th August 2022

…So who is “The Sandman” actually for? There’s no evidence that any care or consideration was given to appealing to people who aren’t already diehard fans of the source material. And as for those diehards, do they want or need to see comics they’ve probably read several times essentially just regurgitated back to them from a TV screen? To some fans, the only good adaptation is a verbatim one. But that doesn’t describe all fans, and presumably more than a few of them will grow weary of just how unimaginative—how sadly undreamt about—this series of dreams really is.

Dan Einav: https://www.ft.com

5th August 2022

…Other characters and subplots are introduced but little feels fleshed out after several episodes, especially since the dialogue is largely limited to functional statements in which people bluntly declare who they are, what they want or what they intend to do. Allusions to the unconscious or the necessity of dreams, meanwhile, are bereft of psychological exploration. What should be a cerebral fantasy is instead indistinguishable from countless others. Still, it’s rather fitting that a series about the “king of dreams” seems so well equipped to send viewers to sleep.

Roxana Hadadi: https://www.vulture.com

5th August 2022

Neither sweet dream nor horrifying nightmare, Netflix’s The Sandman, the long-gestating adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s legendary DC Comics series, is more of an afternoon nap, the kind that unintentionally whiles away an afternoon: initially pleasant, but then it just … keeps going. 

Belen Edwards: https://mashable.com

5th August 2022

If you’ve been dreaming of a perfect onscreen version of Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman, you’re going to have to dream a bit longer, and a bit harder. Netflix’s take on the brilliant comic book series has its moments of excellence, but it also suffers from uneven pacing and mountains of exposition. The result isn’t a snooze by any stretch of the imagination. Unfortunately, it isn’t a masterpiece on the level of the comics either.

Bibek Bhattacharya: https://lifestyle.livemint.com

12th August 2022

…The show is enjoyable enough for non-book readers and better than much else on TV right now. But it is also deeply flawed, for the simple reason that one has to compare the show to the books. At times, the TV show runs like a mirror image of the book’s plot, but an inferior one written by someone with less talent than Gaiman. The show is curiously flat, especially the first half of the season. The wonder isn’t transporting enough, the scary bits aren’t terrifying enough, the jokes aren’t funny enough. In order to make the TV series as acceptable as possible to as many people as possible, the heart of the stories has been dilute.

There are other negative reviews out there, but unlike the sand in Dream’s Sand Pouch, my writing is finite; I need to actually sleep.

So should you watch the show or pass it? I have already said this before, but when it comes to The Sandman, I am very bias. Having said that, and this goes for a general rule of thumb for any comic, book, movie, tv show, computer game, music, and chip flavour; don’t listen to anybody else’s review or opinion. If you want to experience a product, go and experience it yourself, that way, you’ll always know.

But if I had Netflix, I would have already binge watched The Sandman by now, with a big dumb grin on my face, to give me a sliver of happiness.

Have you already seen The Sandman? If you have, please let me know your thoughts on it. Alright, that’s it for today. Thanks for reading, and remember:

Things need not have happened to be true. Tales and dreams are the shadow-truths that will endure when mere facts are dust and ashes, and forgot.

Sandman #19: “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”

See you next Monday.

1 Even if they are wrong.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki: 6th and 9th August 1945

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn History

I want to talk about Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Why? That’s an easy one. 77 years ago this week, two atomic bombs were dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, in a bid to bring the Second World War to an end, with the surrender of Japan.

This is an odd entry for Some Geek Told Me, but since I’m a student of history, I can’t really ignore this. What I’m not going to be talking about is:

  • The development of the atomic bombs, through the Manhattan Project.
  • The justification behind the Allies’ decision to drop the bombs.
  • The Quebec Agreement or The Potsdam Declaration.
  • The Allies warning the Japanese citizens of the bombings.
  • Whether Japan had the capability to defend itself, against an Allied invasion.

What this charming little blog will be about, is what the two bombs actually did to the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, along with the citizens. I know, I know, not exactly Jane Austen or Charles Dickens content, but more like Stephen King.

Let’s turn the page and begin now.

Hiroshima: 6th August 1945

At the time of the bombing, Hiroshima was the headquarters for the Chūgoku Regional Army, as well as the Second General Army. Given Hiroshima’s position for shipping and military resources, it was one of the targets selected to be hit.

Hiroshima’s population was near 345,000, which was made up of military personnel, citizens; including children, slave labourers and prisoners of war.

The weapon used on Hiroshima was a bomb with a 64 kg uranium-235 core, nicknamed Little Boy. It had the power of 15 kilotons of TNT.

On 6th August, at 8.15 a.m (local time), the bomb was dropped from the Enola Gay, an American Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber, at an altitude of 9,400 m. It fell for 44-45 seconds, before detonating at 580 m, which was directly above a hospital.

The result of the first nuclear weapon being used in warfare, was nothing short of horrific.

  • The ground level temperature surpassed 7,000 °C.
  • 70,000 people were instantly killed by the blast and the resulting firestorm, with under 10% being military personnel.
  • By the end of 1945, the death toll had risen to over 100,000, mainly through radiation and injuries.
  • Of the city’s buildings, 70% were destroyed (60,000), with another 7% damaged.
  • Nuclear shadows or blast shadows of victims, were created on the city’s footpaths and walls.
  • A mushroom cloud was created and rose to more than 12 km high.
  • The blast radius of the weapon had total destruction for 1.6 km, along with fires stretching across 11 km2.
  • Over 90% of doctors and 93% of nurses in Hiroshima were killed or injured.
  • For people looking for medical treatment from the weapon, many would die before any medical help could be given to them. This resulted in dead bodies lying around hospitals.
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hiroshima_aftermath.jpg. Shortly after 6th August 1945 (8:15 a.m. – the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima …)
Source: https://www.britannica.com/event/atomic-bombings-of-Hiroshima-and-Nagasaki
Aerial photograph of Hiroshima after it was struck by an atomic bomb on August 6, 1945.
Source: This image is available from the Collection Database of the Australian War Memorial under the ID Number: P05395.013. The two photos taken Yoshito Matsushige, and show examples of nuclear shadows.

Nagasaki: 9th August 1945

During the war, Nagasaki was an important seaport, which was one of the largest in Japan. Nagasaki was also home to four massive companies, that were involved in the production of various military technology and machines. These companies employed 90% of the labour force in the city. Because of this, it was selected as a target.

Nagasaki’s population was 263,000, which consisted of Japanese citizens, Korean citizens, Korean and Chinese workers, soldiers and prisoners of war.

The Nagasaki bomb had a 5 kg plutonium core, nicknamed Fat Man. This weapon had the equivalent power of 21 kilotons of TNT.

On 9th August, at 11.01 a.m (local time), the plutonium bomb was dropped from another American Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber, Bockscar. It fell for 53 seconds, exploding near 500 m, which was directly above a tennis court.

As Japan and the world were still reeling after the Hiroshima bombing, a new nightmare was about to unfold.

  • 40,000 people were instantly killed by the blast, with 60,000 injured.
  • By the end of 1945, the death toll had risen to an estimated 80,000, mainly through radiation and injuries.
  • 40% of the city’s buildings were destroyed.
  • The industrial area sustained 68-80% of its production was destroyed.
  • A mushroom cloud was created to the height of 16 km.
  • The blast radius of the weapon had total destruction for 1.6 km, along with fires stretching 3.2 km south of the blast radius.
Image by WikiImages from Pixabay. Photo of Nagasaki after the bombing, from a 1946 US report.
Source: Courtesy of Library of Congress, “Nagasaki, Japan after atomic bombing / U.S. Army A.A.F. photo,” 1945
Source: https://www.britannica.com/event/atomic-bombings-of-Hiroshima-and-Nagasaki/The-bombing-of-Nagasaki#/media/1/2191531/243815. Ruins in Nagasaki, Japan, September 16, 1945, one month after the dropping of an atomic bomb on the city.

Casualties of the bombs could be collected under three main groups: radiation injuries, debris injuries, and burns.

Radiation injuries accounted for 10% of the deaths in Hiroshima and 6% in Nagasaki. Debris injuries accounted for 30% of the deaths in Hiroshima and 14% in Nagasaki. Burns accounted for 60% of the deaths in Hiroshima and about 80% in Nagasaki.

This information does even touch upon the massive reconstruction effort of Hiroshima and Nagasaki; the after care needed for the survivors, named as hibakusha in Japanese; the radiation and cancer research conducted with the survivors; the cultural and historical impact on Japanese society; or even the world’s reaction and response to the bombings.

One sad day, I’m going to have to explain what happened to Hiroshima and Nagasaki to UMC1 and UMC2. I don’t know how to explain it as a parent, let alone walking around with the knowledge as an adult, that the nuclear apocalypse of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was real. It’s not fake, this actually happened; not once, but twice.

The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki changed Japan forever, but also the world. I think the legacy of the two cities is a twisted form of doublethink. Hear me now…

The destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki can show us an example of what the worst of humanity can offer; what terrible things we can do to each other. However, it also shows us how quite literally and figuratively, how humanity can stand up after being knocked down, and to start to rebuild in the name of peace.

Both statements are actually true. They can co-exist alongside each other in your mind, and that’s alright. Though I think, just maybe, its about what you want to focus more on: hate or hope.

Thanks for reading. I’m going to be doing some changes to the blog soon, if I’m smart enough to understand on what to do and how to do it. Until then, walk your dog, tell a stupid joke and I’ll see you next week.

San Diego Comic-Con 2022: Was there anything interesting?

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn Books, Comics, Movies, Television

I want to talk about San Diego Comic-Con, in particular, the 2022 edition. Why? Well for starters I’ve never been. I live over 10,730 km away, so I’m practically next door, but I have yet to drag my broke arse there.

Another thing is that this year was the first one to be held in person, since the 2020 and 2021 events were cancelled, because of everybody’s least favourite virus, COVID-19.

For those of you that already know about the San Diego Comic-Con, congratulations! For those of you that don’t know about it; I’m very sorry, but I’ll give you a quick summary. Don’t panic.

The San Diego Comic-Con is arguably, one of the the largest events; if not the largest, celebrating popular culture on the planet. The event is designed for creators and companies to advertise new products coming up like toys, anime, computer games, manga, books, comics, movies, tv shows and anything else; as well as being able to sell their existing products to the public.

Because of this, it attracts people from all over the world, to help celebrate everything that is pop culture. Oh, I forgot to mention the cosplayers. So many cosplayers!

I think San Diego Comic-Con is usually held over 3-4 days in July, and even though I’m thousands of kilometres away, I can still get excited. This is because of the important reveals, trailers, and announcements.

This year has been no exception, with an avalanche of information released to the public. But is any of it interesting? Being the writer of this blog; and the person to blame for anything that happens here, I’ve decided to breakdown the most interesting things I have discovered from the event.

Let’s establish a few things first:

1.) I have not read or seen, every article or trailer released from San Diego Comic-Con. There’s probably a ton of information I have missed, but I’m only one man against the odds. I can only discuss the things I have knowledge on, but also things I’m actually interested in. Any news about a Sour Cream and Chives themed computer game, will not be mentioned.

2.) Just because a product is on my list, does not mean I’ll actually get to see it or purchase it. There are so many different streaming services, I can’t subscribe to all of them; I would need a higher paying job for that. Simply, if something has landed on this list, it has my attention.

Let’s do it!

Image by Tania Van den Berghen from Pixabay

Literature

Star Wars: The High Republic

I know the High Republic is not for everybody and that some people don’t like it. Having said that, no one is perfect, and I fall in the other camp, because I enjoy this series!

I loved learning about the Phase II reveals, new characters and stories, listening to the creators, but also looking at the amazing novel and comic book covers for the series. I’m invested with this for the long haul, so I was pretty happy to learn new things about Phase II. One day soon, I’ll write a blog about the High Republic and explain it better. Anyway, we are off to a good start!

Batman/Spawn

There was news that DC and Image will be getting together for another Batman/Spawn crossover. I understand that Batman and Spawn alumni artist, Greg Capullo, will have the art duties, with Todd McFarlane as the writer.

Apparently it will be released this December, and I thought these characters would never met again, after their two 1994 meetings. I didn’t see this one coming at all. I’m not sure what to expect from this, apart from the stellar art. I’m quite interested, to be honest.

As for other comic news, um…..nope. I have to admit, nothing else that I’ve heard from Marvel, DC, Image or anybody else, released from Comic-Con actually has me interested in their upcoming comic book projects. It’s quite strange. Just Star Wars: The High Republic and Batman/Spawn. Maybe I’m getting too picky in my old age.

Movies

DCEU: Shazam! Fury of the Gods

The first film, Shazam! was cool. I mean I thought the film makers did a great job balancing Billy’s personal and superhero life. It was also refreshing to see the villain actually survive. What mischief will Doctor Sivana and Mister Mind get up to?!

It was fun, which is why I’ve been looking forward to the sequel. Bringing more mythology into the franchise with Hespera and Kalypso, will be entertaining. Will it be predictable and a bit corny with Billy’s family? Yes and yes, again, however it will be a lot of fun.

It just makes you want to stand up and shout, “SHAZAM!” Damn, I want to watch the first film again now. How good is bullet immunity?!

Black Adam

Speaking of Shazam!, how about we discuss the Big Red Cheese’s antithesis villain. I have always thought that Teth-Adam is similar to Magneto, Namor, or Ronan the Accuser; a leader or symbol to his people, which means he can and will fight alongside the heroes, as easily as against them. A classic anti-hero.

I’m nervous, but I have high hopes for this film. Having the Rock play Black Adam is a master stroke, and it will also be interesting how the Justice Society will connect with audiences. Doctor Fate was my first introduction to a superhero magician, so hopefully this film will not disappoint. How far will they push things? I have no idea.

We do need to see the Shazam!/Black Adam or Superman/Black Adam fight somewhere in the future. Pretty please? Teth-Adam is the last person on Earth that should have these powers, so let the smackdown begin!

MCU

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

I liked Black Panther, because at least to me, it brought a lot of political and social issues of living in a superhuman world into the light. Plus I thought Chadwick Boseman was phenomenal as T’Challa. He’s one of the greatest characters Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, ever created together. I’ve always liked T’Challa.

So because of that, I’m nervous about the sequel for three reasons. Firstly, since the original film was such a massive success, there could be a lot pressure to catch lightning in a bottle for a second time. An example of this is Wonder Woman and Wonder Woman 1984. The sequel did not quite hit the mark.

Secondly, I feel it was a mistake not to recast T’Challa. I know they did it to honour Boseman’s memory, but I feel allowing T’Challa to exist in the MCU, would have been a better tribute. Allowing another excellent actor to step into T’Challa’s sneakers, is not something uncommon in superhero films.

And lastly, Namor. I’m always concerned when great villains are not adapted in the best way. Doctor Doom is the best example, with three films behind him, the film makers got it wrong, three times over.

Namor just like Black Adam, he is an anti-hero. His arrogance is only equal to Batman’s, so it will be interesting to see how the film makers translate this; but also for his culture. Obviously there will be some tension/conflict between Wakanda and Atlantis, just like T’Challa and Namor in the comics.

I want this film to work, which is precisely the reason why I’m interested in it. And the Dora Milaje kicking arse helps.

Phase 5 and Phase 6: The Multiverse Saga

This covers Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, The Marvels, Blade, Captain America: New World Order, Thunderbolts, Fantastic Four, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, and Avengers: Secret Wars (February 2023-November 2025).

I’m interested in all of these films, but I’ll wait to receive more information about them as the wheel turns, as the world moves on.1 I also do realise there are some MCU tv shows as well, but I’ll talk about them below.

Television shows (streaming)

Disney +

I don’t have Disney +, but if I did, I think my family wouldn’t see me for a few weeks. Without discussing the shows already on the platform, the reveals and trailers from Comic-Con include Andor, She-Hulk, Secret Invasion, Echo, Loki Season 2, Ironheart, Agatha: Coven of Chaos, and I am Groot, sound quite fantastic.

These announcements are awesome and I’m interested in watching all of them…one day I guess. However, there was one reveal that was jaw dropping: Daredevil: Born Again.

I’ve seen Netflix’s Daredevil Season 1 and 2 on DVD, and that show was astounding. I loved it, but I haven’t seen the third season. I’m very impressed that Charlie Cox and the rest of the crew (I think) will be coming back.

Whether the show will be based on the famous Born Again storyline, or a play on words like Spider-Man: Homecoming, I don’t know…but Daredevil is back! I’ve always thought Daredevil was a very underrated character, so I’m stoked that he’s getting more camera time.

The Sandman

If you’re a follower of my blog, you will understand how special this show is to me. I’m actually not going to discuss it too much, other than stating that The Sandman trailer was mind blowing; but also this was the most interesting reveal/trailer/announcement to come out of San Diego Comic-Con.

Meeting the Endless will bring me a lot of happiness, but I also can’t wait for people to meet Desire, because they were woke, before woke was a concept.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

I understand the Rings of Power are getting some flak from Tolkien super fans over changes to characters, the timeline, and other things. As a Tolkien fan myself, not every fan has to agree on a product’s direction; however, I am ready for this show.

I’m not sure how much of the plot will be taken from The Silmarillion, The Fall of Númenor, The Nature of Middle-Earth or Unfinished Tales, but it looks great. I know it’s set during the Second Age of the Sun, and….I’m so excited for this.

Will we see the Silmarils? Will we see the rise of Sauron? Will we see Angband? Will we see the War of the Last Alliance? Or even better, will Morgoth have a cameo, even in a flashback or prologue? I have no idea!

There are many things that can go right or wrong with this show, but I’m choosing to be positive; I have to. I’m just stunned that the show exists at all. I love the genres of superheroes and science fiction, but throw fantasy in there also, and I’m going to be immersed in geekdom.

I’m not a subscriber to Amazon Prime, but this show is tempting me.

Can I also mention House of the Dragon? This show is one I can actually watch on my streaming platform, so I have to research the Targaryen family tree a lot more, before it starts in a few weeks. Things to do.

Ok that’s it. What reveals from San Diego Comic-Con were you interested in? Please let me know. My dog needs his belly rubbed, so look both ways before you cross the street and I’ll see you next week.

1 Anybody for some Ka?