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Aug. 21st, 2007
NASA Getting Worse
Aug. 21st, 2007 12:03 pmNASA has fallen into the trap of thinking all risk is equally bad. So they avoid any immediate risk - however minor - at the cost of exposing Orbiter crews to greater non-immediate risks.
They refused to let the astronauts get valuable experience repairing heat shield tiles on this flight because "they might damage the tiles further." Okay, now what happens when they discover on another flight that there's severe damage, and a problem with their repair techniques which weren't previously discovered 'cause they hadn't actually, y'know, _practiced_ on this minor problem?!
They refused to let the astronauts get valuable experience repairing heat shield tiles on this flight because "they might damage the tiles further." Okay, now what happens when they discover on another flight that there's severe damage, and a problem with their repair techniques which weren't previously discovered 'cause they hadn't actually, y'know, _practiced_ on this minor problem?!
Quatermass and the Pit
Aug. 21st, 2007 08:14 pmI've long been a fan of _Five Million Years to Earth_, the US release title of the Hammer film _Quatermass and the Pit_. Many have enjoyed that movie. Few modern viewers know it was based on a short serial (what today would be called a miniseries) broadcast live about a decade earlier.
The serial had much longer to work, running several hours. The story benefits greatly from this. There are also some minor differences in plot and characterization.
Colonel Breen comes off far better in this version. Far from being a petty martinet who is unpleasant just to be unpleasant, he actually comes off as a sympathetic character, though an often unpleasant one. He has reasons for behaving the way he does.
There's far more atmosphere and background development in the longer version. The science is surprisingly well worked out, better than in the rushed story of the movie.
Overall, the acting and production values in the serial aren't as good as in the movie. Some feel the alien spaceship in the serial is a better design than the one from the movie, but I prefer the fluid appearance of the latter.
I have the serial, in a two-tape boxed set. It's B&W, probably from a kinetiscope, with poor resolution and occasional dropouts, and the sound is muddy. Still, it's well worth watching. I just wish someone would remaster this onto a new DVD set.
The serial had much longer to work, running several hours. The story benefits greatly from this. There are also some minor differences in plot and characterization.
Colonel Breen comes off far better in this version. Far from being a petty martinet who is unpleasant just to be unpleasant, he actually comes off as a sympathetic character, though an often unpleasant one. He has reasons for behaving the way he does.
There's far more atmosphere and background development in the longer version. The science is surprisingly well worked out, better than in the rushed story of the movie.
Overall, the acting and production values in the serial aren't as good as in the movie. Some feel the alien spaceship in the serial is a better design than the one from the movie, but I prefer the fluid appearance of the latter.
I have the serial, in a two-tape boxed set. It's B&W, probably from a kinetiscope, with poor resolution and occasional dropouts, and the sound is muddy. Still, it's well worth watching. I just wish someone would remaster this onto a new DVD set.