The most recent 20 comments posted to Making Light by Straight:

C.S. Lewis's answer is disappointing because, of course, the orthodox Christian answer to the question is that regardless of how you wrangle with the logic puzzle, the fact of the matter is that God *did* create a rock he could not lift.

Jesus, being fully human, was unable to lift many (most) of the rocks that he, being fully God, had created.

The most basic form of the question is "Can an omnipotent God limit himself?" And Christian dogma asserts, "Yes, he did."

Shoulda googled before I made that last post. Lewis and Clarke's
correspondence has been published under the title "From Narnia to a
Space Odyssey" - thanks so much for pointing me toward this, Patrick!

A great tribute, Patrick. Thanks.

Also, that anecdote about Clarke
and C.S. Lewis is awesome. What I wouldn't give to have heard *that*
conversation. (I wonder if any of the letters they exchanged have been
published?)

You know, I bet it would be brilliant in the hands of, say, Gene Wolfe.

It was. At least if "Dream-Walking Shape-Shifting Space Vampires from the Green Planet!" Counts.

My dismal prediction for the Watchmen movie:

They will film the ending fairly close to the actual comic, but test audiences will hate it "too depressing" and the studio will force the filmmakers to re-shoot it, probably something like having Qe. Znaunggna ghea onpx gvzr, fb gurl pna xrrc nyy gur xrjy SK bs gur cfrhqb-nyvra qrfgeblvat Arj Lbex ohg gura erirefr vg sbe n gujneg-Bmlznaqvhf "unccl" raqvat.

Maybe everyone else here knew who wrote the book and what genre it was published in?

Fair enough. I didn't know it was based on a story by Priest until I got to the end credits.

Also, the Tesla element of the story goes sciencefictional the minute you've got Tesla working on a matter transporter.

It's only sciencefictional if he's really trying to make one (instead of pulling a swindle to get funding for his actual research) and if it works. (Or maybe if, unlike me, you know enough about Tesla to know he never tried to make transporter. Or pretended to try.)

Sheesh, am I the only one who thinks putting Gur Cerfgvtr on this list is a major spoiler?

Jura V jngpurq Gur Cerfgvtr, vg qvqa'g bpphe gb zr gung vg jbhyq unir nal fpv-sv ryrzragf. Fb V jnf pregnva gung gur ungf ba gur uvyyfvqr jnf whfg n gevpx ol Grfyn gb fjvaqyr Wnpxzna'f punenpgre. Naq gung Wnpxzna unq ernyvmrq gur znpuvar qvqa'g jbex ohg pnzr hc jvgu n fbzr gevpx gb qb vg naljnl.

Va ergebfcrpg, V gubhtug gur fhqqra vapyhfvba bs fpv-sv jnf cerggl snve. Chyyvat n gevpx yvxr gung jbhyq or bhg bs punenpgre sbe Grfyn, naq ur jnf shyy bs cbegragvbhf jneavatf gung gur znpuvar jnf trahvaryl fbzrguvat Zna Jnf Abg Zrnag Gb Xabj. Gur zbivr bcrarq jvgu n fubg bs gur ungf, rzcunfvmvat gung urer jnf fbzrguvat rkgenbeqvanel. Naq Pnvar'f punenpgre gbyq hf gung gurer jnf ab jnl gb qb n gevpx yvxr gung jvgubhg n qbhoyr (juvpu jnf gehr sbe obgu zntvpvnaf).

V ybir jura n fgbel gevpxf zr ol gryyvat zr gur gehgu naq fbzrubj trggvat zr abg gb oryvrir vg (lrf, V ybir Trar Jbysr). Guvf zbivr jnf shyy bs gung. Gur tvey fcl gbyq Wnpxzna'f punenpgre gung fur'q frra gur bgure zntvpvna hfvat znxr-hc, ohg V gubhtug fur jnf ylvat gb uvz orpnhfr fur ungrq uvz.

Ohg naljnl, vs V'q xabja tbvat va gung guvf jnf n traer fgbel, vg jbhyq unir orra yrff sha. Fb cooyyygu! gb gur abzvangvat pbzzvggrr sbe gur fcbvyref.

I like the various responses about how the nature of vampires is more complicated than the Watchers initial setup. But it smacks a little bit of fanfiction justifying things after the fact. I watched every episode, but I really couldn't tell whether the treatment of Angel and Spike was actually Subtle New Information About the Nature of Vampires or just inconsistent writing, bending the rules for the sake of keeping interesting characters around (waves at Harmony). You never see any of the characters saying, "Hey, maybe the Watchers were wrong about vampires."

If what you're saying is true (if any vampire could potentially be a Spike) then isn't it obscenely immoral for Buffy to stake vampires on sight the instant they rise from the grave, before they've ever menaced anyone?

Season Seven has perhaps my favorite Buffy episode, "Story Teller". Andrew's narration and perspective on the Scoobies is comedy gold. But then the way Buffy confronts his storytelling and the specific wording of his confession is one of the best portrayals of true repentance that I've ever seen in fiction.

The thing that drove me batty about the series is that right up front they establish that a vampire that looks like your friend is not your friend. Your friend is completely dead and the vampire is a demon who has taken his place. (So don't hesitate with the stake.)

But then what's with all the guilt Angel has about what Angelus did? And what's with everyone acting like he ought to feel guilty? Angel didn't kill people, a demon who looked like him did. Same goes for Spike later on.

Now it makes sense that Angel, Giles, etc. would feel blame/guilt unjustly, but I never got the sense that anyone recognized this as unjust. Giles never getting over it, sure. But never once admitting, "of course it wasn't *really* Angel's fault"?

Changing AD to CE makes sense to me, but I don't know why we can't just keep BC as an abreviation for Before the Common era. Insisting on BCE seems kinda pointless and almost like you're trying to pick a fight about it.

The Writer Who Gives You His Novel, Free!
My friend knew a writer whose agent (named Neil Marcus, I think) called and said he'd negotiated an advance. "They're giving you two-fifty!" The writer hung up and danced around the room shouting "$250,000! $250,000!"

A month later he got a check in the mail for $250. The writer called Marcus and said, "You sold my novel for $250! Well I'm gonna have $250 worth of fun. I'm gonna e-mail my novel to everyone I can, for free!" Marcus said he wished he wouldn't do that but the writer said, "this is the only way I feel I could get even."

And to prove this story is true, below is a copy of the writer's novel. Please pass it on to everyone you know!

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