The Tangent Universe

[explodingbat]

Duncan Jones' new movie Source Code was good until the word "quantum" reared its nonsensical head, enjoyable but kinda disappointing thereafter. The title is as bad as it sounds, but i did quite like the name of the military project, "Operation Beleaguered Castle" totally sounds like a product of the War on Terror

Comments

[nationelectric]

That video (well, audio clip) is FANTASTIC.

[nationelectric]

ALSO ALSO, Vernor Vinge on emacs FTW!

Text editors of the rich and famous

[explodingbat]

Neal Stephenson is another one, while Stross apparently prefers vim (but then he used to work at an ISP).

[_fluffy]

I liked Source Code. I could look past the quantum hand-wave crap, although it really should have ended with the spot close to the end that everyone thought was a perfect ending, rather than have it go on with a sappy love-conquers-all thing (although they did at least make the love-conquers-all thing enough of a twist that it balanced out the fact it was unnecessary to begin with).

I don't know if there's trains like that in Chicago, but those exact same train models are used on several other commuter rail lines, including Caltrain. I don't think there's a secret access panel above the bathroom though (although every time I've needed to use a Caltrain bathroom I've regretted it, as they are so far out of service that they make the worst dive bars in San Francisco seem to have a lickably-clean floor by comparison).

[explodingbat]

Your calling the ending Love Conquers All is spot on, the movie would have been much better without that bit.

Could you tell who the dad was, just from his voice? Turns out it was Scott Bakula.

My first thought with the trains was "wouldn't they push other trains off their tracks?" but i guess they're no wide- or taller than goods wagons.

[_fluffy]

I'm usually good with voices but I didn't recognize his voice, no. I did notice his name in the credits at the end though.

Usually commuter trains run on their own dedicated rails around here. Our freight infrastructure isn't really set up for mass transit.

[explodingbat]

Me neither, seems like such a wasted opportunity to make a subtle Quantum Leap reference.

[easlern]

I can confirm the trains shown in the preview are nearly identical to those used on Chicago's Metra routes. I haven't seen the movie though. I resent it for planting the idea of train terrorism in the minds of the paranoids in congress. I worry that might inspire them to put TSA in the stations and I enjoy being able to go to/from work without being irradiated or felt up. :(

[easlern]

lol- I guess it was a Metra train and, in typical Chicago fashion, there is already a scandal involving a Metra employee demanding a bribe:

http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/Extortion-Claims-Made-Against-Metra-Officials-119758829.html

[explodingbat]

I doubt people would stand for it, the scanning-machine-manufacturer instigated security theater sounds absurd as it is.

After the 7/7 London Tube bombings i was afraid of something similar, but having dealt with decades of IRA attacks the authorities' response was much more level headed.

[schnee]

Germany has double-decker trains, too - they're used for both suburban trains (S-Bahn) and regional trains.

I personally don't like them, though. They work well enough if you're really just commuting, but if you need to take a local train for the last part of a long-distance journey, you're gonna find it difficult to find a place to store your luggage. The older single-decker trains were much better in that regard.

(Also, hi there! :))

[explodingbat]

Hello!

I don't remember friending you, but have been on an Irregular Webcomic binge lately so it's probably via that.

[schnee]

Yeah, most likely; I regularly comment on that feed.