Norman Richards

Doctor Who, first series

Doctor Who was one of my favorite shows growing up. I'd watch it ever Saturday night on the PBS station as they would play through the episodes from the beginning to end. When the series ended, I hoped it would come back some day. When it didn't happen after the McGann movie, I thought it was really the end. But somehow the BBC decided to give the show one more chance.

I was ready to go get cable again just to watch the show, but it's not being shown here. So, I've had to rely on usenet and torrents to get the show. It's a real shame as I would have gladly payed for the episodes. It's too bad there's no iTunes for TV shows. Regardless, the first of the new series is done, and I thought I'd give my thoughts.

A lot has happened since the TV movie. There are vague references to the Time War, in which the Time Lords and the Daleks destroy each other. Gallifrey was destroyed in the process. The only survivor was the Doctor. Being extinct didn't stop the Daleks from making another showing, so I suppose there's still some hope to see the Time Lords again. But, it's not clear where all that is going to play out. It's not even clear what happened. I guess it will be one of those mysteries that works itself out over the coming series.

Chris Eccleston was a great 9th Doctor. I wish he were coming back for at least one more run. He was funny and goofy, just like the Doctor should be. I know some people found him annoying, but I thought he was fantastic. Billie Piper as Rose was even better. I didn't have too high expectations at first, but Rose is now near the top of my list of companions. I'm very glad to see she'll be around at least one more season.

The first series was entirely Earth-based. Despite popping forwards and backwards in time, a core set of secondary characters and locations kept popping up. I thought that was a very nice touch. Unlike others, I actually enjoyed seeing the effect on Rose's family/friends of her decision to travel with the Doctor. It's not something we usually see in Doctor Who. Very nice.

Not all the recurring themes were good. I could have done with less of the Slitheens, and I really didn't like the Captain Jack character much. I thought bringing Adam along for one adventure and tossing him out was interesting. You'd think rejected companions would be a lot more common. Maybe we'll see more of this in the future.

The writing on the series was adequate overall. For the most part I enjoyed the episodes not written buy Russell Davies more than the ones written by him.

Dalek and Father's Day. The first two Slitheen episodes (Aliens of Londoon World War Three) were my least favorite. I also didn't like

Unquiet Dead. I've heard from many people who said that was their favorite episode, but I thought it fell flat.

I'm very eager to see the next series and see how David Tennant plays the Doctor. I'm even more interested to see how Rose handles the transition and how Mickey and her mom react. I'm hoping we'll get more details about the time war. And, I'm hoping that the 10th doctor will finally get off of Earth. The first season was fun, but it's time for the Doctor to get out and see a few alien planets.

Voting FOR someone

I try to avoid online politics, but I ran across an an interesting entry a refering blog that pointed to the absolutely shameful Ralph Don't Run campaign.

The normal justification for this kind of warped political thought is that the current [insert political office] is so bad that we just can't have any more of him. We have to vote AGAINST him at any cost. Sure you might like [insert fringe candidate] better, but come on man, we most defeat [insert political candidate]. You can vote for [fringe candidate] once the Great Evil(tm) is defeated.

Unfortunately the next election cycle there is a new Great Evil(tm) to defeat and we can never quite afford ourselves the chance to vote our conscience. Instead, we cast our LemmingVote for the [insert mainstream party.

It's all a big scam. Here's a clue: Bush isn't that bad. 4 more years of bush won't cause the world to end. Clinton wasn't that bad. The world won't end with 4 more years of the other party. As Evil as they might seem. That's the truth, despite the propaganda that the republicans and the democrats both spew.

I'm happy for the Perot influence that let Clinton in and helped him get re-elected. The Nader influence in the last election was wonderful. I'm continually amazed that in the days of MTV politics that people still have the courage the think for themselves and vote for someone instead of casting their vote out of hate for an imagined Evil.

If you are tired of politics as usual. If you are tired of casting a vote of hate against the other party, then find a candidate/party you like and support them. It's that easy. Sure, you might find out that that evil other guy got into office, but more than likely when you pull your head out of the hate-filed lies that surround both of the major parties you'll probably find the Great Evil a good bit less evil than you thought. Clinton was an OK president. Bush is an OK president. Whether Bush is re-elected or the democrats take office, things will be ok. Relax a bit and think of the bigger picture. The bigger picture is that if you want better presidents and a better country then start voting for better candidates and stop being a pawn of the political machines.

Nails by Margot

My wife just put up her own site: www.nailsbymargot.com. She does pretty good nail art. She isn't licensed here in the US yet, which is why she is at a school taking the required classes for licensing here. But if you look at her gallery you'll see she's got a bit of talent. (well, I was impressed) If you are here in Austin and have a wife/girlfriend who is into that kind of thing then please pass the word. Until she finishes her class hours, she can only work in the school and charge the school rate. It's be the cheapest professional nail art you'll find.

Timeshifting the holidays

I'm not a big fan of holidays. I'm no Grinch; I just find most holidays boring. There's usually not much to do on the holidays. When everyone is is taking a vacation at the same time, everything I'm interested in doing is usually too crowded or closed for the holidays. It's a real pain. If I can take a random day off in the middle of a normal week, I know exactly what I can do. There are lots of things I enjoy doing when I have free time. The problem is that on a holiday vacation day many of those activities either aren't available or are made painful by the holiday crowds.

Even something simple like going to the park. On a normal vacation day I might go to the park and do some reading or maybe play sticks. It's quiet and pleasant most days. But on a holiday day it can be too crowded to be worth the trouble.

I much prefer to take vacations on non-holiday days and to work through the holidays. On holidays, the office is usually really quiet and peaceful. It's a great time to get things done without all the unproductive meetings and other nonsense that goes on at work. Then, when everyone is back in the office, I can take my vacation time.

The only problem is when you are a slave to some other arbitrary schedule. With my son in elementary school, I'm somewhat trapped by his school schedule. I can't timeshift his holidays, so I don't really have the opportunity to make the most of my holidays like I used to. We still find ways to have fun, but I know we'd have a lot more fun if we could take the time in our own way.

I don't get Walmart

I've always been an eccentric, counter-culture kind of guy, so there are a lot of things I just don't quite understand about the world. Very close to the top of my list is Walmart. After reading this article about Walmart at Fast Company, (found via Cote) I'm more confused than ever.

I don't really hate Walmart. I just don't understand why anyone would step into the place. Walmart is always dirty and crowded and located in the most inconvenient locations possible. Despite their size, they have a really horrible selection, and I rarely can find what I'm looking for. Long lines, crowded aisles, low quality, defective returned items placed back on the shelves at full price. All this hassle for a $3 barrel of pickles? Do people really value their time and sanity so little that they will put up with Walmart just to save a few pennies?

Of course they do, but I don't understand why. I make a fairly decent salary as a programmer, so I suppose my perspective on money might be somewhat tainted by that. But, even as broke college student working in the campus computer labs to put myself through another year of school, I never saw the fascination that my classmates did with the beginning of the semester pilgramages to Sam's Club (walmart++) to stock up on extra cheap food and school supplies.

The discount was never worth the headache. I bought my groceries at the local neighborhood grocery store. (For those familiar with West Campus in Austin, there used to be a Fresh Plus at the corner of 24th and San Gabriel, where the bike store is now) I bought books and other supplies at the University Co-Op. (before they sold out to Barnes and Nobles) I never wasted my money, and I still don't. But I've never been motivated by price above all other considerations. I'm willing to pay for quality, and I don't mind spending a bit extra for a better shopping experience.

Last time I had to go there, the parking lot was full. So they are obviously meeting a need for a lot of people. I just can't even begin to relate. Walmart remains a mystery to me.