JohnnyW

[JohnnyW]

John: The answer is in the post you linked to…

“But while this kind of interleaving is easy in a book, it’s very difficult in a DVD – especially in non-ideal, real-life situations where version 2 is never exactly twice the length of version 1. I once deconstructed a seamlessly-branched DVD and it was *very* complicated. So complicated, that while “angles” is a standard part of every professional DVD authoring application, seamless branching is not: it’s a part of the spec, but very esoteric and needs very specialised software to implement it.”

[JohnnyW]

The thing is though, although the implant certainly gives a person a major advantage, it is just another tool. A tool many successful officers did without and got to with graft.

Sure, Rimmer could still work his butt off and not succeed. On that other hand he just might. He might never be as high ranking as his privileged brothers but he could still end up an officer. Unfortunately, although it?s the thing he most wants in the world, he really doesn?t have any interest in the subject matter he is studying, hence all the rotas and bar-charts, etc. Working hard at not working. And what does he do? He blames his parents. He feels sorry for himself. And the lack of an implant is just another excuse to add to all the others.

The interesting thing is, when it really counts, when he is (spoiler territory) faced with someone who is the archetype of what he would like to be, who even saw him as the hero, he actually does better himself in the end. He doesn?t become an officer but in the end that?s not what?s important.

What the hell are you talking about? Just go an re-read the book instead of arguing with people who have it fresh in their memory. Do I have to type it out for you?

[JohnnyW]

>> And you?re basing this fact on??

A conversation I had with Rob Grant.

[JohnnyW]

Considering their last one meant that they couldn’t talk without yelling at each other for TEN YEARS, I hardly think it’s a stretch at all to think that it might not have completely gone away.

I do hope you’re right though… they need to write something together again.

[JohnnyW]

I remember laughing and enjoying it as I read it the first time (when it first came out), but I tried to read it again recently and well, here’s what I wrote about my experience:

I made it 50 pages into Last Human, and I literally can?t take it any more… It?s funny, don?t misunderstand me, there?s some brilliant lines, but it just feels wrong. Like a car engine in dire need of a mechanic, it somehow keeps on moving, but it really doesn?t sound right and you feel like you shouldn’t be driving it.

For starters, Naylor clearly has no issues with messing with the entire Red Dwarf canon. Rimmer’s inferiority complex about his more successful brothers all stem around the fact he didn’t get a memory implant when he was a boy?? Grant explored this neuroses and turned it into the core of his entire book and something emotionally satisfying we could all relate to, but Doug quickly explains it away in an unemotional and illogical sentence.

There?s also an astonishing amount of pseudo-science that, not only doesn?t hold up to even the tiniest bit of scrutiny, but also disregards everything we know about the Red Dwarf universe. Random scientific sounding bits and bobs that are tossed into the story and dialogue without explanation. All of a sudden even the Cat is an astrophysicist. Things like ?unused time lines? (how can a parallel universe be considered “unused”?) or the fact that Starbug has a ?Hubble telescope? installed (come on) are just horrible.

I guess Doug would argue that it?s all about entertaining readers, and most people aren’t going to know scientific theory and don’t care about technology (so long as it sounds ok), they just want a laugh.

While I can definitely say the Last Human tries very hard to tickle your rib bones (and succeeds very often, too), I have to ask; if you’re going to do the science-fiction without the science, why bother?

———–

True, I was a bit unnecessarily harsh with “despicably awful”, but it still wasn’t very good.

[JohnnyW]

Damn. I seriously hope they haven’t fallen out again. I know a lot of die-hards here think that Doug Dwarf was good, but I’m with the crowd that thinks it was worse than My Hero. More of that hardly excites me.

[JohnnyW]

So to go all the way back to my original post:

Did he decide to just not get involved, or have they fallen out again?

[JohnnyW]

Huh? They were happily working together on the Bodysnatcher collection, even re-working an old script together.

[JohnnyW]

I recently re-read that last two books (the first two are definitely pure Red Dwarf).

http://thunderpeel2001.blogspot.com/2007/10/retro-review-red-dwarf-individual.html

In short: Backwards is smart and funny, whereas Last Human was despicably awful.

[JohnnyW]

Five minutes or so? That sucks. I thought there was about 30 mins. I still don’t know how this release passed me by. I would have done anything to own it. When were the CDs recorded, does anyone know?

[JohnnyW]

And Han was also supposed to shoot second…

Truth is, intended or not, we, the fans, had gotten used to seeing Red Dwarf how it was for five years, six series and two novels. Intended or not, it did not improve on Red Dwarf and, if anything, it jarred, so what was the point, exactly?

[JohnnyW]

> Why on earth did they change it anyway. WHat was wrong with the original?

I’ll never understand why Series III was “remastered”, it was the first series where they got the look right, if you ask me. They should have just tried to get Series I & II to match!

(Don’t talk to me about the “improved” Red Dwarf model…. hnnnnnng!)

[JohnnyW]

Considering the CDs were meant as commentaries (am I wrong in thinking this?), why didn’t they just, you know, use them as commentaries (or were they too long?).

I’d still prefer the original CDs/MP3s to the weird animations on the DVDs, though.

If anyone wants to, ahem, “donate” them (or any other MP3s which may be of interest) please send me an email here: thunderpeel@sbcglobal.net

Thank you!

[JohnnyW]

> I *am* one of the people who run the Red Dwarf wiki?

Did you forget the next bit? “HEAR… ME… ROAR…!” ?

I think Marleen’s suggestion was both reasonably made and fairly decent, too.

[JohnnyW]

Wahhh :(

[JohnnyW]

Well I guess I’m about so get flamed… but I like the new artwork. I think it’s rather cool!

[JohnnyW]

Well maybe there can be room for “editorial” comments. Like I said, it’s not Wikipedia (which has to cite everything and ban opinion to avoid getting sued for libel), it’s your personal Wiki. I don’t see why a clearly labelled “comments” section couldn’t be added to certain things, like the episodes or books. Provided it was only a paragraph and clearly labelled as a “G&T Review” or “Editor’s Comments” or something.

If the people who agree to put the time in are not doing it to entertain themselves, it’s going to get very old for them, very quickly. We need to make sure it’s a reasonable amount of fun.

Also, when I said no public editing, I was thinking about NO public editing. Ie. Nobody else but the team (whoever that may be). But yeah, I don’t see why monitoring things would be so hard with a bunch of us. As soon as someone spams something, their account is banned. That should work, shouldn’t it?

FWIW, I spent a fair amount of time looking through the Wiki and I certainly came across a lot more stuff that was useful than not. I never came across any spam, for example. I was also quite enjoying updating it!

[JohnnyW]

Excellent! Did you guys manage to get image uploading working?

Since you both seem concerned about keeping an eye on Spam and whatnot, we could always start with public editing turned off?

[JohnnyW]

As long as all know the information is correct, I think it’s enough and more realistic just to let it be a resource for fans. The idea of everything having to be cited is a bit silly if you ask me. Controversial stuff, sure, but not everything. This is a fan thing, not Wikipedia!

http://www.lostpedia.com/wiki/ and http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/ do their jobs just fine, for example.

Saying that, I volunteer to be part of a team. There’s nowhere else on the internet to get information on the Smegazine, the other things that Rob and Doug have worked etc, etc. There needs to be more of a reference out there.

[JohnnyW]

How much work are we talking about? What kind of admin is involved? I didn’t think it was in that bad a state when it was live?

[JohnnyW]

It’s pretty straight forward and not really sexist(?). It makes good reference to the face that it was frowned upon for a woman to ride horses the “normal way” (astride), way back when, because it was potentially arousing/”un-Lady like”, so side-saddle was invented by insecure men.

[JohnnyW]

No Chris Morris? I hope he’s busy working on Brasseye 2 or something, and nothing bad has happened… He was great in Series 1!

“Computer…”

[JohnnyW]

June?!…. I’m desperate to update some of those pages! I just re-read Backwards and I’d forgotten how brilliant it was. Can’t I get access while you’re updating? :)

[Author]

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