Supermaw http://www.supermaw.com Random mawsings Sun, 01 Aug 2010 22:10:34 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 A Study in Sherlock http://www.supermaw.com/?p=1558 http://www.supermaw.com/?p=1558#comments Fri, 30 Jul 2010 01:32:24 +0000 maw http://www.supermaw.com/?p=1558 This week I watched the much awaited new TV series from Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, Sherlock.  As you can probably guess from the name, the series features Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous fictional detective, Sherlock Holmes. Unlike most other screen versions however, Sherlock is set not in Victorian times, but in modern day London.

Regular readers may know that I am a fan of both Sherlock Holmes (particularly the original stories/books and the Jeremy Brett series)  and Steven Moffat, who is a genius behind the latest series of Dr Who… amongst many other achievements.  I am equally fond of Mark Gatiss, not only for his work on various TV shows including Dr Who and the brilliant Crooked House, but also for his excellent Lucifer Box novels.

So you can imagine how thrilled I was to hear that these two were planning to create this series, especially when I stumbled across them filming it outside my workplace at the time in Cardiff. I did however resist the temptation to go up and fawn too much when I spotted Gatiss and Moffat right in front of me, because they looked like they might be busy discussing the show, which is the last thing I would want to interrupt.

So when it finally aired On Sunday, you can imagine my excitement, and frankly I wasn’t disappointed.  The whole thing was cast brilliantly, from the obvious central characters, through to the supporting roles including various police officers, arch enemies, villians, and of course the wonderful Una Stubbs as Mrs Hudson.  Of course Holmes and Watson are still the most important characters, and the two main actors, Benedict Cumberbatch as Holmes and Martin Freeman as Watson, don’t let us down.


Freeman just seems right in the role of Watson, managing to portray the sadness of a reserved, yet clearly traumatised ex-soldier, while still injecting some humour into the role.  As the episode unfolds we quickly learn about Dr Watson’s past war experiences, injuries and how dull and miserable he feels his life has become. Life seems to be passing him by and he seems somehow lost.  While he is tormented by his memories of war, he also yearns for excitement. Despite this obvious dissatisfaction, we realise that Watson is a very moral man with strong ideals, who finds it hard to trust people …but once he does cannot be swayed easily.

In the title role, Benedict Cumberbatch succeeded in more than just having a name as awesome as Holmes himself, he also managed to convince me that he IS Holmes.. at least for this series.  As a huge fan of the original stories, any attempts to capture the essence of this fascinating character make me nervous, and unfortunately people do often get it quite wrong.  In this case however, I feel that the writers and actor nailed his personality, without being afraid to make the changes needed to suit a modern setting and storyline.

Described as a freak and a socio-path by resentful police colleagues, and bereft of friends, barring those he has helped professionally, Holmes is clearly a difficult and unusual person.  While the police clearly need his help, many of them are disturbed by his powers of deduction and consider his interest in crime and murder unnatural. Watson however, is immediately impressed on witnessing some of his deductive reasoning, and is quickly convinced to share lodgings with Holmes, then drawn into an investigation involving a series of bizarre suicides.  Despite the weirdness, obvious danger, warnings to stay away from Holmes and mysterious strangers, Watson is clearly enjoying himself and is fascinated by Holmes and his world.

The crime, mystery and deduction have been tackled cleverly, using interesting techniques such as the captions appearing as Holmes works things out, which is a great way to let the audience know what he is thinking without slowing him down. It’s hard to judge this from the first episode alone, as we were also meeting the characters for the first time (in this guise anyway), but to me the mystery was well paced. I just hope that further episodes test his deductive skills even further, as the mysteries themselves have always been central to any Holmes story.  While I enjoyed the detecting, I am hoping for some really juicy and clever crimes in the next 2 shows, and some awesome detective work from the man himself.

As a Holmes fan I was pleased to see a number of references to the original stories.  The episode title closely matches one of from original stories, the initial meeting between Holmes and Watson was almost identical to the original, and there were plenty of lines of dialogue and character traits that are recognisable to any Holmes fan.. such as referring to something as a 3 patch problem.  Despite these nods to the original, Holmes has obviously had to change and modernise, but I feel they really did get the balance right. While Sherlock has held onto his basic personality, he is clearly a modern detective (as he was in his time), and makes full use of the technology at his disposal. Instead of just placing the original Holmes in a modern setting, the writers have clearly thought hard about how Holmes would behave if he lived now, and in my eyes they pretty much nailed it.

So as you can probably tell, I enjoyed Sherlock, and can’t wait to see the next two. In fact my only real complaint, much like when the recent season of Dr Who ended, is that 3 long episodes just isn’t enough. Fortunately a lot of people seem to agree with me, and it has been reported that we may be getting a few more in about a year.. so let’s hope the rumours are true. You can learn more about Sherlock, or even try your hand at cracking some clues by visiting his website, www.thescienceofdeduction.co.uk. Viewers in the UK can watch the next episode on Sunday night on BBC1.

]]> http://www.supermaw.com/?feed=rss2&p=1558 4 Search for Sagan – Top 5 screen scientists http://www.supermaw.com/?p=1539 http://www.supermaw.com/?p=1539#comments Wed, 21 Jul 2010 13:14:26 +0000 maw http://www.supermaw.com/?p=1539 I’m no expert when it comes to science (unless it’s computer based), but as a bit of a nerd I’m fascinated by the workings of the universe and love watching great science based shows that explain the basics in a way I can comprehend. Of course merely hearing the facts isn’t always enough. We need to hear them from someone who can help us to understand them… and this is where my favourite screen scientists come in.

The scientists listed below are not only experts in their fields, they are also entertaining, determined and intelligent enough to capture our interest and imagination. I won’t bother to list all their qualifications, skills or experience, as you can find all this information elsewhere, and frankly it would turn this blog post into a novel. I’m just going to tell you why I value each of my choices and would recommend you check any of their work out.

Sir David Attenborough

My first memorable encounter with science documentaries was in the assembly hall at my school in Namibia. We expected the usual boring educational films, but instead were treated to a completely captivating documentary about animals and natural history. The show was called Life on Earth, and the presenter was the first on my list, Sir David Attenborough.

For over 50 years, this brilliant broadcaster and natural scientist has treated us to some of the best nature documentaries that have ever been made. His curiosity, respect and love for nature and the creatures he encounters are infectious, and he always manages the difficult task of educating while entertaining.

He is still going strong and in recent years has been involved in much of the best wildlife programme making available, along with thought provoking specials on pollution and over-population. In the unlikely event that you don’t already know and love his work, or have just forgotten how great it is, check out pretty much anything he has been involved in.

Professor Jim Al-Khalili

I only discovered Professor Al-Khalili recently, when I watched his BBC Four three part series called Chemistry: A Volatile History, but the sheer enjoyment and excitement I got from those shows means that I have to include him on this list. Now I have never been a huge fan of chemistry, as it always seemed very dull and inaccessible in school. While we learnt the names of elements and did all the standard experiments I never really felt like anyone had explained how or why the elements behave the way they do and how they were discovered.

The way he leads you through the history of chemistry and the human race really clarifies how our current understanding evolved, with lots of interesting misconceptions being disproved along the way. His other recent programme, The Secret Life of Chaos, was similarly enlightening, and by the end of the show I genuinely felt like I had learned and understood more on the topic than ever before. Now I’m just hoping that Prof Al-Khalili will continue to make great science based shows, as I really want him to tell me how everything else works too.

Richard Dawkins

This British ethologist, evolutionary biologist and popular science author has also been involved in many science based documentaries and TV shows. He is known for being extremely outspoken in his criticism of creationism and intelligent design, and seems determined, both in his writing and on screen, to encourage rational thinking and reasonable scepticism.

He became well known as a result of his 1976 book, The Selfish Gene, which popularised the gene-centred view of evolution. Since then he has published a number of books and has been involved in many documentaries, on subjects including atheism, Darwin, the universe, selfish genes, and many other related topics. His obsession with reason and rational thinking shines through in all his work. While his extremely vocal frustration can sometimes be a source of amusement (as evidenced on South Park), his determination to champion scientific facts and rational thinking (rather than myth or religion), are a big part of what makes him a great scientist… and also an entertaining one.

Brian Cox

Particle physicist, Brian Cox, is probably the most pleasant and smiley-faced scientist I have ever seen on-screen. It’s hard not to get caught up by the sheer joy and enthusiasm he displays when explaining a theory or illustrating some scientific fact, and luckily he also manages to make a lot of sense. Like all the scientists listed here, Cox clearly knows his stuff, and he has also been determined to share this knowledge, receiving many awards for his efforts to publicise science. Off screen Cox works on and in involved in many interesting projects including the ATLAS experiment at the infamous Large Hadron Collider.

To the general public he is mostly known for his science based TV and radio shows, often for the BBC. His 5 part BBC series Wonders of the Solar System, was extremely popular, and rightly so, as it was highly informative and entertaining. Cox is currently working on a new series, Wonders of the Universe, which will not doubt be equally awesome.

It’s hard to find any articles about or interviews with Cox that don’t mention his musical career, most notably as the keyboard player for 90′s pop band D:Ream. It’s also hard to miss that Cox just doesn’t look like a stereotypical notion of a scientist. He seems a lot younger (and frankly cooler) than you would expect for such an accomplished scientist, but there is no doubt that beneath his smiley faced exterior lurks the heart of a real science nerd.

Carl Sagan

Last, but most certainly not least, we have Carl Sagan, astronomer, astrophysicist, cosmologist, author, documentary maker/presenter and all round awesome guy. In his lifetime he published countless scientific papers, wrote and co-wrote a number of books, made numerous contributions to science, won countless awards, and famously presented and co-wrote the brilliant Cosmos series.

Cosmos: A Personal Voyage is a 13 part series, made in 1980, in which Sagan attempts to explain… well… pretty much everything. It covers a huge range of topics, including the origin of life itself, all explained in Sagan’s uniquely entertaining way. In addition to Sagan’s charms, the series introduced ground breaking special effects and no expense seems to have been spared on effects, production values and locations, all of which combines to make possibly the greatest science series ever made.

It’s almost impossible to describe the man himself in just a few words, but to me he is not only brilliant, entertaining and funny, but also someone I look up to in terms of his beliefs and general openness to new ideas. Sagan didn’t just share his scientific knowledge and experience, he also shared his beliefs, opinions, personality and most of all his sense of excitement and wonder. I could go on all day about how brilliant Sagan was, but instead I will just urge you to watch or re-watch Cosmos. I defy anyone to watch Whale impression without falling a little bit in love.

That’s all from me for now, but there are many more great scientists out there, both on and off screen, so it would be impossible to mention them all. If you have any top screen scientists of your own in mind, leave a comment with your favourites, so we can all enjoy them.

]]> http://www.supermaw.com/?feed=rss2&p=1539 2 Bow Ties Are Cool http://www.supermaw.com/?p=1534 http://www.supermaw.com/?p=1534#comments Fri, 18 Jun 2010 19:27:13 +0000 maw http://www.supermaw.com/?p=1534 So I haven’t posted for ages, and now that I am, I have a favour to ask…

Bow Ties Are Cool - Threadless T-shirts, Nude No More

I have mentioned my husband Adam (@renduh) and his blog www.acwe.co.uk before. Basically he is a complete geek like me, but with design skills, oh and a penis.

He just created a Dr Who inspired t-shirt, which was accepted on Threadless, so now we just need to get lots of lovely votes. Here is the shirt…

“Bow Ties Are Cool”

You will need to quickly register to vote, but it’s a great site with some nicely designed shirts, so it’s definitely worth taking the time to check it out.

If his design gets accepted he will get a load of t-shirt vouchers, some cash, and more cash for re-prints.  I need lots of new t-shirts… and I always need cash, so your votes will be greatly appreciated. He is currently at around 150 votes after a day. I think we need at least 800 to have a chance of getting it on there, but we have 6 more days so we might be lucky.

Thanks in advance, and I promise to return with some proper blog content soon.

]]> http://www.supermaw.com/?feed=rss2&p=1534 2 Weekly Web Digest #8 http://www.supermaw.com/?p=1454 http://www.supermaw.com/?p=1454#comments Fri, 30 Apr 2010 20:05:27 +0000 maw http://www.supermaw.com/?p=1454 I’m really late with this Weekly(ish) Web Digest, which is basically a list of all the geeky articles, blog posts, eye-dandy and web goodies I have discovered in the last week or so… so this one might be kinda long.

I have also shared a few links to Avoid Contact With Eyes which is a great blog full of amusing, geeky and awesomely designed posts, with lots of lovely eye-candy for design nerds. It’s reminiscent print/magazine design, featuring a selection impressively unique designs on different posts. It also just happens to be my husband’s blog, so you should probably check it out…

Here is the full list of links…

Oh and as always add a comment with suggestions of any site(s) you think I should check out.

]]> http://www.supermaw.com/?feed=rss2&p=1454 0 Weekly Web Digest #7 http://www.supermaw.com/?p=1441 http://www.supermaw.com/?p=1441#comments Mon, 19 Apr 2010 03:25:13 +0000 maw http://www.supermaw.com/?p=1441 Time(ish) for another Weekly Web Digest, which is basically a list of all the geeky articles, blog posts, eye-dandy and web goodies I have discovered this week.

It’s been a great week for geek girls, with great posts as always from the Geek Girls Network™, movie reviews from Film Gurl & MrsMantis, and some awesome posts from The Nerdy Bird… including a jealousy inducing write-up on meeting Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and Stephen Moffat from the new Dr Who team!

In news sure to thrill geeks of either sex… Live for Films informs us that a Wargames computer is up for sale!

Before you get too excited, it isn’t actually WOPR, but it is the computer Matthew Broderick used and caused so much trouble with.

Here is the full list of links…

Oh and add your comment with suggestions of any site(s) you think I should feature here.

]]> http://www.supermaw.com/?feed=rss2&p=1441 0 I Will Be Watching http://www.supermaw.com/?p=1429 http://www.supermaw.com/?p=1429#comments Mon, 12 Apr 2010 21:16:42 +0000 maw http://www.supermaw.com/?p=1429 Fans of Charlie Brooker will be thrilled to learn that his comedy panel show You Have Been Watching returns to Channel 4, this Thursday at 10pm. For those not familiar with the show, it’s a comedy panel show loosely based on a quiz format which covers the world of television. Guests normally include comedians and other regular panel show panelists, and good guest choices combined with Brooker’s hilariously biting wit takes it to a whole new level of funny.



If you are not familiar with Brooker, his other shows Screenwipe, Gameswipe and Newswipe (BBC review shows) or his Guardian columns I recommend you check his stuff out. While his humour can be seen as somewhat savage he is actually pretty smart, funny and knowledgeable, and not a week goes by without me laughing out loud at, or vigourously nodding my head in agreement with his columns.

You can find out more about Brooker and why I like him in a previous blog post, Things (or people) I like – Charlie Brooker & zombies. This hilarious How to Report the News clip from the recent series of Newswipe is a good introduction to his humour, and gained a lot of attention on the web when it was first broadcast.

Okay back to You Have Been Watching. The first show of the series begins with guests David Baddiel, Liza Tarbuck and Kevin Bridges joining Brooker for a humourous look at TV. I can’t share a clip, because like ever other big company channel 4 have blocked them on YouTube because they wouldn’t want people watching a few minutes of a show for free and then becoming a fan… okay I better not get started on this.. that is a whole other blog post. However if you live in the UK (or you are an evil illegal downloader/hangbag stealer/terrorist), you like TV and you enjoy adult comedy I recommend you check it out this Thursday.

]]> http://www.supermaw.com/?feed=rss2&p=1429 2 Weekly Web Digest #6 http://www.supermaw.com/?p=1425 http://www.supermaw.com/?p=1425#comments Fri, 09 Apr 2010 09:48:07 +0000 maw http://www.supermaw.com/?p=1425 I’m almost a week late with this web digest, but to make up for my tardiness I have made sure it’s crammed full of delicious cyber treats that should satisfy the most discerning web geek. There is a bit of a web design theme developing this week, including some great inspiration from Abduzeedo, a list of the world’s top twenty web designers, and a great post from Tripwire Magazine on blogs with unique designs for each post, which features my better half’s blog ACWE.



There are also plenty of other weird and wonderful links, ranging fromsteampunk animal corpses to the Geek Girls Network’s™ 10 hottest geek guys. We have plenty of film news for movie lovers and another great podcast from The Power Geeks.

Check out the full list …

Oh and f you look at nothing else, be sure to watch Patrick Jean’s new short film PIXELS. An amazing New York invasion by plenty of familiar 8-bits creatures…

As always,  don’t hesitate to add a comment with suggestions of any geeky, inspirational, funny or interesting sites you think I should feature here.

]]> http://www.supermaw.com/?feed=rss2&p=1425 0 First Impressions of the Eleventh Dr http://www.supermaw.com/?p=1410 http://www.supermaw.com/?p=1410#comments Sun, 04 Apr 2010 00:54:12 +0000 maw http://www.supermaw.com/?p=1410 As revealed exclusively on this blog, well okay guessed along with a bunch of other sites, the first episode of the new Dr Who series started tonight. The first episode of series five, called The Eleventh Hour, introduced Matt Smith as the eleventh Doctor.  As a lifelong Dr Who geek and a big fan of David Tennant I was understandably nervous but optimistic about the change. So I was on the edge of my seat tonight, hoping that Matt Smith, Steven Moffat and the whole team would nail it… and nail it they did

I was very hopeful for the new series due to new lead writer and executive producer, Steven Moffat, who wrote some of the best (and creepiest) Dr Who episodes in the last few seasons.  His career is sure to impress any geek, getting off to a brilliant start on Press Gang, a kids TV series about a group working on the Junior Gazette. Despite my confidence in Moffat, I was still a bit worried about the change, as well.. it’s a new Dr, and long term fans of the series know that can go either way.

Smith certainly looked right, and I was both assured and excited after seeing clips and his Jonathan Ross interview, but part of me was still uncertain that this young chap could live up to Tennant. Within minutes I was convinced, and as the show continued I became more and more captivated. Matt Smith managed to seem entirely comfortable and just right in the role, but still brought something unique to it. The fact that he managed to make the role his own in one episode speaks volumes, and fills me with excitement for the next few series.

Along with Matt Smith, Karen Gillen, the hot new assistant was also great. While I loved the last few series, no assistant has really grabbed me since Rose, so I was blown away by how much I liked this new character. The rest of the cast, including the young Amelia and the downtrodden boyfriend were also spot on, along with a few familiar faces in the extended cast.

It also looked great. I love the new steampunk Tardis, the new sonic screwdriver, the new theme and opening credits.. hell I even love the new outfit. As great as all these elements were, it was the story that really drew me in, and captured my imagination. Moffat is really great at coming up with creepy, unsettling and just plain scary ideas, but it was also equally funny, touching and exciting.

Phew, so as you can probably tell, I really liked The Eleventh Hour. In fact, if the new Dr appeared before me right now, the first thing I would ask him to do is take me to next week so I can watch the second episode.

08_DawnDead
]]> http://www.supermaw.com/?feed=rss2&p=1410 14 Weekly Web Geek Digest #5 http://www.supermaw.com/?p=1401 http://www.supermaw.com/?p=1401#comments Sun, 28 Mar 2010 16:04:45 +0000 maw http://www.supermaw.com/?p=1401 Once again here is my best of the web for this week. Lots of great posts this week from some of my favourite bloggers (and friends), including a great post on web friendships & spending too much time on the internet from @okse, and a similarly interesting post on online support and tribes from @csdaley.


Was also great to see writer and director Julian Simpson and novelist Michael Marshall Smith both treating us to new blog posts and updating us on their other projects. I have also been reading plenty of great film/TV news & reviews, design inspiration, comic related posts, zombie news, the a to z of awesomeness and general geeky content.

Check out the full list below….

I’m always looking for new content to enjoy and share, so don’t hesitate to add a comment with suggestions of any geeky, inspirational, funny or interesting sites you think I might enjoy.

]]> http://www.supermaw.com/?feed=rss2&p=1401 0 Why I Love Comics http://www.supermaw.com/?p=1382 http://www.supermaw.com/?p=1382#comments Thu, 25 Mar 2010 09:30:39 +0000 maw http://www.supermaw.com/?p=1382 I love comics, and while I can’t buy as many as I would like these days, I treasure our comic book collection.

I loved comic books from a young age. My first encounters were British kids comics and annuals like Beano, then American Harvey Comics titles leading on to Archie comics. While I enjoyed these comics as a little kid, they quickly started to seem a bit too childish, so I was overjoyed when I first discovered super hero comics, then more more sophisticated science fiction, horror, alternative and independent comics.

This was our collection when we last sorted it out a few years ago…

Over the years I have enjoyed comics of many different styles and genre’s. Some fantastic and unreal, others lifelike and gritty. I have read traditional super hero comics, and unconventional, independent titles. I have bought comics made for all ages and others that are definitely made for adults. Comics with amazing depth and others than are incredibly transparent and shallow. I guess the variety is part of the appeal, as there are no limits in comics beyond the creators skill and imagination.

Of course there are standards and conventions, just like in film or television, but comics seem to frequently break the rules to create something new or different. There are so many creative artists and writers working in comic books today, who have entertained and amazed us with brilliant stories and characters, and will no doubt continue to do so. The kinds of talents that can revitalise existing characters, creating a whole new generation of fans, or create new worlds and characters for us to care about.

I suspect all comic book fans will remember being blown away by unique titles and talents over the years. I will never forget the first time I saw 2000AD and realised there was a different kind of comic out there. When I first experienced the anarchic craziness of Tank Girl’s art and stories or Milk & Cheese in Deadline. Reading Miller’s darker take on Batman or Watchmen’s alternative take on superheroes. Discovering a range of styles, from the unique and moving Maus through to finding out about the darker side of conventional super heroes likes Catwoman. Finding Vertigo titles like Invisibles and then the pure awesomeness of Preacher. Sandman & Death. My undead loving side enjoying Marvel Zombies and The Walking Dead, which ranks among the best zombie stories in or out of comics. There are so many great titles out there, many of which I have yet to discover, so it would be impossible to list them all, but this huge variety in style on content is part of what makes comics great.

Something about the nature of comics allows them to explore and create stories and characters that are unconventional and subversive. Even the most conventional comic book will have a certain style and quirkiness, perhaps because comics are created by geeks for geeks. The combination of art, fiction and fantasy certainly seems to attract intelligent and unconventional people. Both as readers and as writers and artists. While on the surface they may seem gaudy and unsophisticated there is huge range of comics out there and many of them tackle issues or events that more conventional media struggles with. Even the most straightforward seeming, traditional comic books can have a huge influence of their (often young) readers based on how they tackle human conflicts and emotions.

Of course over the years I have also read and lost interest in a lot of weak or boring comics, and have been disappointed many times, but one of the great thing about comics is the joy of discovering something you love amongst it all. You can waste lots of time browsing in comic stores, or take a risk and try out an issue of something without spending much money. If you don’t want to buy comics every week you can wait for graphic novels and collections to come out. You can even buy and read some comics online, although for me part of the enjoyment of comics is the physical object.

Sadly my comic purchases have slowed down a bit over the last few years, partly because of boring priorities like mortgages, food and other such nonsense, but also because frankly we are going to run out of space for it all eventually. I have no doubt though, that I will continue to buy and enjoy comics for many years to come. While I love books and films, comic books offer a visual and narrative treat that can’t be found anywhere else, so as long as they keep making great comics, I will keep reading and being surprised by them.

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