On the Passing Scene IX

Random thoughts. Oh, but first off, happy birthday, ane-ue-dono. And Mobile Suit Gundam—April 7, 1979 was its first airdate. There's a significance that she was born exactly four years later, I think we can all agree.

• So I found out that, with JP Aerospace's Orbital Airship idea, payloads can be brought to orbit at a price of $1/ton/mile altitude, or $0.69/metric ton/km altitude. Which in my setting comes to 434 ₨/megagram/km altitude. That's darn cheap!
  
  Airships: they're not just for steampunk anymore.


• Speaking of Gundam, I read a manga called "Gundam Genesis" (Gundam Sousei) about the creation of the first Gundam series. Uh, did Kill 'Em All Tomino really hit Amuro Rei's seiyuu (twice!) to get the "You hit me, you hit me twice, even my father never hit me!" line right? 'Cause he seems crazy enough to have done that, but still, wow. Also, did Itano "Circus" Ichiro really sneak into demolition sites so he could see how smoke rises from demolished buildings?
  
  But it's interesting, that thing about how the fans of the show went and bought the toys so it would stay on the air. Nice going, Tomino, you're responsible for one of the most embarrassing things about Japan's culture.


• But, still. Remember when I said Americans are smarter than Brits because at least our TV science fiction is Star Trek, not Dr. Who? Yeah, well, Japan's is Gundam, so, uh, yeah, they win.
  
  Also, "Sieg Zeon!" is cooler than "Live Long and Prosper", and a hell of a lot cooler than "Exterminate! Exterminate!"


• So the movie "Moon" has a lot of soft SF trappings like easy cloning and evil corporations, but the protagonist is there to, uh, mine helium-3 from the lunar regolith.
  
  Oh, baby, you know just what Daddy like!


• So far this season, the good anime are Sket Dan, Nichijou, and Tiger and Bunny. Sket Dan needs no introduction, but Nichijou is basically Magic Realist Azumanga Daioh. But it's good—Magic Realism is actually tolerable in service to slice-of-life comedy.
  
  Tiger and Bunny is an even more cynical take on superheroes than I'd do, and in mine the supervillains are the good guys. I especially like the Pepsi logos all over that idol-chick's costume.


• My problem with Magic Realism is, it's basically like "Huh, oh yeah, an angel (or a monster or a UFO or whatever) showed up in the backyard, but whatever; let's go into lucubrations on our petty infidelities just like crappy mainstream fiction."
  
  Again: that'll work in a comedy, but if you're trying to tell a serious story either the weird stuff is in the foreground, or it's not there.


• So all these right-wingers who just can't remark often enough that Obama's various shifts RE: the War on Terror are "flip-flops" from him. I have only one thing to say.
  
  Hey idiots, he's doing what you want! Why the Hell Michigan are you pointing out that he said he wouldn't?! Is some ephemeral "moral" victory more important to you than actual victory? Any 5-year-old knows, when you're getting your way, you don't point out it's inconsistent! Why are you stupider than a 5-year-old?!


• So I've officially decided, the two orbit elevators on Earth, in my book, are in Entebbe, Uganda and Macapá, Brazil. Because those two cities are on the equator.
  
  How has nobody noticed the potential social-justice implications of orbit elevators for the "Global South"?
  
  Nah, I'm just kidding; of course nobody means it when they talk about wanting to help the developing world.