Biggs' Zone

A Geek's Cogitations, Conjectures and other Cortical Experiences

Book Review – Leia: Princess of Alderaan

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On March 4, 2019

In Book Review, Science Fiction, Star Wars

Leia: Princess of Alderaan (Star Wars)Leia: Princess of Alderaan by Claudia Gray
My rating: [rating=5]

I wasn’t sure what I was getting into when I picked up this book to read it. After the passing of Carrie Fisher, I felt like reading this book became an obligation. In fact I had a bit of a lump in my throat when I began reading it.

The 16-year-old Princess of Alderaan is ready to make her claim for the throne. It’s her Day of Demand and she must declare her three challenges if she wants to become queen. As she embarks on the quest to fulfill these challenges and joins the Apprentice Legislature in the Senate, her world suddenly changes. She stumbles on to a plot against the Empire and Emperor Palpatine and her parents are at the center of it. Can she continue a facade of innocence to protect herself, her parents, and her people?

Biggs’ Review

I really enjoyed this book, much more than I was expecting. The events in this book occur 2-3 years prior to the beginning of A New Hope. I enjoy Claudia Gray’s writing style and story telling. It kept me engaged with every page and the story is very compelling.

I really love how she ties in Rogue One and The Last Jedi movies. There are references to Saw Gerrera’s actions and how it impacts the Rebellion’s attempt to remain clandestine. There is even a small cameo from The Phantom Menace. One of my favorite character mentions is Amilyn Holdo. In The Last Jedi we meet Holdo for the first time as she assumes command of the Raddus while Leia is unconscious. She commands authority and definitely has some history with Leia.

Finally, the presence of the Force is subtle and sublime. I don’t know if that was the author’s intention but I love how it enigmatically influences Leia’s actions. Some times even Leia seems unaware that her strong connection with the Force is driving her actions.

View all my reviews

diablo3-reading“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
– Dr. Seuss

 

Movie Review: How to Train Your Dragon 3

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On February 23, 2019

In Movies, Reviews

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

Directed By: Dean DeBlois
Starring: Jay Baruchel, America Ferrera, Kit Harrington

My Rating:

If you have kids then you know that when they are young and they latch onto something, you’ll groan at the mention of its very name. If it weren’t for my daughter I probably never wouldn’t have watched any of the How to Train Your Dragon movies. When she latched on to these movies, I actually didn’t mind. The depth of the world is immersive and suddenly you find yourself talking about the lore and characters. Despite watching all the different series, several times at her request, I actually became a fan. So much so that I, too, wanted to see this movie.

A new threat has emerged, Grimmel the Grisly. He isn’t just after the dragons, he specifically hunts Nightfurys and he’s after the last of them. He has threatened all of Berk to get his hands on Toothless and, as the new chief, Hiccup must protect them. Finding the dragon’s hidden world is their only hope to survive Grimmel’s fixation. 

Biggs Review

It’s a great conclusion to an epic series. It has some heartfelt moments and it wraps everything up neatly. One of the things I noticed is the “camera work”. I realize that’s a bit of an abstract observation since animated films can’t really have “camera angles” like a live action film. However, they seemed to try to create the illusion of live camera angles, even shaking the camera a bit in a couple of scenes. John Powell (also known for composing the sound track for Solo) continues his amazing work on the soundtrack; I never realized how much I enjoy the soundtrack. 

This is one of those series where you hate to see it end but you knew it has to at some point. If you enjoy the other movies, and the series, then I think you need to see how it all wraps up. The story and character progression makes sense as well as the ending. Also, if you haven’t watched any of the series, you need to check them out.

film_reel“The screen is a magic medium. It has such power that it can retain interest as it conveys emotions and moods that no other art form can hope to tackle.” 
– Stanley Kubrick

 

Disney World: 25 Years Later

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On February 19, 2019

In Biggs On

I recently returned to Disney World to take my 4-year-old daughter on her first visit. In 1994 I was 14 and that was the last time I went to Disney World, I had gone at least twice more prior to that. While my memory isn’t that great, I do recollect bits and pieces from each of my previous visits. So here are my adult observations of Disney World; 25 years later.

The Magic Band and Fast Pass

Magic Band

The Magic Band is brilliant. Instead of worrying about carrying your wallet, credit cards and hotel room key, you can wear them on your wrist instead. You can connect a credit card to your Magic Band and simply scan it at the register to pay for items (food, merchandise, etc). If you are staying at a Disney resort, you simply scan your Magic Band to enter your room. So you don’t really need your whole wallet, just your ID and perhaps a little bit of cash.

Plus if you set up dining plans, your Magic Band will store that information for you. Dining plans are pre-paid meals that you set up when you are planning your trip. In fact you can also schedule a reservation at the same time so you don’t have to wait an eternity when its time for lunch. It’s a fast pass for your meals.

Speaking of fast pass; a fast pass is how you can skip the long lines for the rides and shows. It’s like setting a reservation for a ride, but you have to set that up ahead of time as well. However, if you miss your window to use your fast pass, you lose it. Meaning you have to wait in the longer line if you want to go on the ride. All of your fast passes are, again, managed by your Magic Band.

While the fast pass is a great idea for planning your day and trying to get on your favorite rides, it kind of adds a new level of exhaustion. You are literally going from one ride to the next depending on the spacing of your fast pass rides. So if you think you are going to get your Fitbit steps in, you probably won’t. There isn’t much time for meandering when you are going directly from one ride to the next.

Adult Observations

When you’re a kid (even 14 years old) there are some things you don’t really notice at a place like Disney World. There are some things you don’t even think about.

It’s Offensively Expensive

When you were younger and your parents told you Disney is expensive, you probably just shrugged it off. As an adult, returning to Disney … OMGWTFBBQ its expensive. I feel like someone should have bought me dinner first before bending over for that. You are basically spending the same amount of money you would for a decent down payment on a new car. I guess its one of those things you don’t notice as a kid, the price next to each item on the menu. The merchandise is more affordable than food. It was $4.50 for a 20oz Coke Zero! Setting up meal plans and snacks on your Magic Band is your cheapest option.

Alcohol and People Watching

As I was mentally preparing for this trip, I often joked that I need to pack a flask to survive. Then I got to thinking, is there alcohol at Disney? When I was a kid (yes, even at 14 because I wasn’t interested in alcohol) I wasn’t curious about buying alcohol. The answer is, Yes. Every restaurant has beer and wine. Unfortunately I never bought a beer because it makes me tired and I was already pretty exhausted!

People watching is quite revealing too, especially when it comes to line etiquette. There were 10 of us and we were all using the same fast pass reservations. Trying to keep 10 people together in an amusement park line takes quite a bit of coordination. Despite our best efforts, we were inevitably split up by other patrons slipping in line between us. Apparently foreigners do not seem to care if your family is split apart, or they just don’t recognize the situation. I’m not trying to stereotype all foreigners however most of the time, if the intruders didn’t appear to be foreign, they would often allow those family members left in the back to move forward.

Costumed Characters MIA

The most surprising thing I observed is the lack of costumed characters. I know I don’t have the best memory but I distinctly remember seeing Disney characters in the streets quite often. It was especially common in Magic Kingdom and I swear every 10 minutes you ran into a Mickey, Donald or Goofy. The entire time we were there I think I saw a Goofy once, and it was at Hollywood Studios. There are “character encounters”, but they seem to be scheduled, which really takes the fun out of it. It’s also possible that more characters meander during the busier time of year.

The trip was still super fun, even as an adult. Of course I will need to return to Disney World after Galaxy’s Edge opens.

minions_icon

I could accomplish so much more if I only had minions!

 

The Internet is an Experiment in Anarchy

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On February 4, 2019

In General Cogitation, Random Cogitations

I’m on a Criminal Minds binge. There is an interesting episode called “The Internet is Forever” near the end of Season 5. If you are unfamiliar with the show, each episode begins and ends with a quote from some philosopher or influential mind. The closing quote in this episode suggests that the Internet is an experiment in anarchy. Here is the full text of the quote:

“The Internet is the first thing that humanity has built that humanity doesn’t understand, the largest experiment in anarchy that we have ever had.” – Eric Schmidt

Yes, ironically that quote is from Eric Schmidt, the CEO of Google (aka. Alphabet Inc). It is so profoundly accurate it sparks many thoughts of just how much anarchy the Internet is creating. I decided on this topic on the 25th of January and since that day I witness nearly daily examples. It’s equal parts frightening and uncanny.

The Internet has Made Us All Sociopaths

I wish I could say I am exaggerating. Surely there are not daily examples of Internet induced anarchy. How often is there a story on the news where someone’s behavior was the result of a post on social media? How many suicides or suicide attempts are the result of cyber bullying? If you don’t want to think about it then how about a couple of examples. Tide Pods. The cinnamon challenge. The Bird Box challenge. People are lemmings! Yes, people did stupid things in the 80’s and 90’s, before Facebook, but it wasn’t as widespread. The consequences were more prolific because it made the news.

Unfortunately anarchy has become the social norm; and I blame Social Media. Everyone feels so indemnified by the facelessness of Twitter and even Facebook (ironic, I know). We’ve all become sociopaths because we post things on the various forms of social media with a complete lack of conscious. People don’t care who they harm, all they care about is what’s trending. A perfect example is this “Fyre Festival” thing that Hulu has been advertising. It shows just how dangerous social media can be. I don’t think Billy McFarland is a criminal, I think it’s hilarious that those people got what they deserved.

The Internet is now the digital mountain top from which people scream their opinions thinking the rest of us care. I admit that some people do care and many agree. However, what makes it absolutely absurd are the people who are trying to promote tolerance and inclusion are first to demonize anyone that disagrees with them. You can’t preach inclusion but ostracize anyone that disagrees. This is as much of an example of cognitive dissonance as this entire blog post (yes, I’m fully aware of what I’ve done). I’ll openly admit that joining Facebook and Twitter has turned me into a sociopath. In retrospect, I should have avoided them completely.

/cheers

minions_icon

I could accomplish so much more if I only had minions!

 

Book Review – The Straggler’s Mask

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On January 28, 2019

In Book Review, Fantasy

The Straggler's MaskThe Straggler’s Mask by Juho Pohjalainen
My rating: [rating=2]
Link to the review on Goodreads.

It’s been a while since I had the opportunity to review a First Reads book that I won from Goodreads. In fact this is perhaps my third book since creating my Goodreads account. Be that as it may, let’s get on with my book review of The Straggler’s Mask.

Since this book is an ebook I had no idea how long it was; although I rarely check. The length of a book is hardly a factor as to whether or not I’ll read it (although it might be a factor as to when I read it). Good books that are long rarely feel long, for example the first couple of books in George R. R. Martin’s Song of Fire and Ice series (aka Game of Thrones). Unfortunately for this book, there are parts where it feels like it drags on. I’m actually going to skip the synopsis this time, and the reason for that will become clear shortly.

Biggs’ Review

Based on a few Amazon and Goodreads searches I couldn’t find any other book written by this author; therefore I’m going to assume this is their first book. I know it has to be hard to publish your first book not knowing how its going to be received by readers. As much as I don’t like giving mediocre reviews to a debutante author, I did struggle with this book, a lot.

This is a bugbear from Dungeon’s & Dragons

I found it difficult to keep track of all the characters as well as the story. Sometimes I forgot where they are as they traveled. I honestly forgot what their ultimate goal was (until I got to the actual face off with Nirvana). There are times when the point of view of the storyteller would change, without notice and I had no idea who was speaking in the first person. I went through about a 3 week dry spell where I didn’t pick the book up at all because I was bored. However, I still finished it because I refuse to leave a book unfinished, but it felt a little arduous.

Peal is an Interesting Character

I did enjoy the concept of the story (an unsuspecting creature picking up the mantel of a legendary hero). Peal is an interesting character, though his skittishness and small stature don’t really correlate to what I expect a bugbear to look like or behave. Granted that’s based on an old D&D reference point. The world the author created felt pretty imaginative and thought out. However I don’t know if I would have used Earth; otherwise you are setting the readers up to identify familiar areas of the planet which they’re not going to find.

I guess I’m more disappointed that I didn’t like it as much as I wanted to. I feel like this book could have been broken up into two novels. If you’re an aspiring new author, perhaps a 600+ page book with a complicated list of characters isn’t the way to start. This, by no means, deters me from reading more by this author, unless the next novel is equally as disappointing. Honestly, I may go back eventually and try to read it again to see if a second time will more easily capture my attention.

View all my reviews

diablo3-reading“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” 
– Dr. Seuss

 

RTotD: Once A LEGO Fan, Always A LEGO Fan

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On January 15, 2019

In General Cogitation, Random Cogitations

Lego has a very humble origin story. They began with a carpenter in Denmark in 1932; The Lego Group formed in 1934 and they have been producing the iconic interlocking bricks since 1949. Of course that was long before I was born. Regardless, Lego is a timeless toy that is spanning generations. I grew up on Lego and now my kids are growing up on Lego. The funny thing is, even as an adult I still collect Lego sets. I have many friends that still collect Lego sets. So once you’re a Lego fan, you’re always a Lego fan.

Obviously as an adult in his late 30’s, I’m not constructing Lego sets for the purpose of post-construction entertainment. The sets I collect are mostly Star Wars themed and they sit on a shelf for display. The task of assembling is a perfect way to relieve stress and collect my thoughts. It has also become something I do with my daughter on the weekends.

Lego is clearly something you never outgrow; even as you age you just learn to appreciate them differently. There has to be a study out there that proves building Lego sets has some kind of positive cognitive impact. If there isn’t one, then someone should start one. When “adulting” has you in a death spiral, I’m glad Lego is there to straighten you out.

The things that go through my mind when I’m alone with nothing but my thoughts for entertainment is dangerous. Some might even say eccentric. Consider this your warning about today’s Random Thought of the Day

 

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