Octopus Overlords

Holman wrote: ↑Sun Dec 06, 2020 6:12 pm

Alefroth wrote: ↑Wed Nov 25, 2020 6:40 pm Do you unfriend people from Facebook when they die?

I usually don't because someone close to them will sometimes reach out through the account to announce news to the friends of the deceased.

But it's always sad when Facebook gives you the automated "It's [dead friend]'s birthday today! Wish them well!"

and then you have all their "friends" that post "Hope you have a great Birthday!" or just "Happy Birthday", but I'm not going to be the one that tells them, "Hey, you know so-so is dead don't you?"

You think some would figure it out when others say "Miss you so much." But the birthday wishes keep coming.

Hrdina wrote: ↑Mon Dec 07, 2020 1:15 am Linkedin will do that with "job anniversaries", too.

Yeah, I had to remember to update my profile to eliminate that sort of embarrassment. But I would have anyway since LinkedIn is part of my daily (if fruitless) job search.

I looked it up and was sad to see that Johnny Winter died in 2014, he was 70. He was my idol growing up and here is one of my favorite songs:

Charley Pride has passed away at 86 from complications of COVID.

Pride was one of a very small number of African-American artists to find success in American country music of the 1960s and 70s. He was part of the era when country was trying out pop stylings with traditional country instruments and achieving crossover appeal. My parents always loved him.

Just came to post that. Charlie was a unique sound in the music world. Liked him even when I was a kid. I had just watched him a few months back on that country diner show online. Sounded the same. A real country music legend. RIP Charlie. I hear your songs in my head even now.

Not only did I like his music I thought he had a great personality too.

Novelist David Cornwell (better known as John le Carré) dies at 89.

Just a tremendous talent.

Ben Bova

Legendary Science Fiction Author Ben Bova Has Passed at the Age of 88

Word of Bova’s passing first came from Kathryn Brusco, who revealed that Bova had passed due to complications from COVID-19 and a stroke.

Yeah, that was news last week. I was a fan of his Mars books, but his later works became more and more political.

I just started reading Privateers. I read a number of his books many years ago and remember being a fan. But I'm struggling with this one. I guess I'm more "Woke" now, or something. But the main character is a sleeze. The treatment of women so far is abysmal.

Still, RIP, he was one of the great 'hard' science fiction authors.

His early stuff is really good too. I remember getting a bunch of older books and there was this story with a concept that sounded like a holodeck, and that was from the 60's. The concept was that instead of physically going head to head to solve disputes, that you'd do so in a virtual environment to let off steam by stepping into a booth, with the idea that nobody would get hurt. But then it turns into a sort of murder mystery when someone tinkers with it and someone ends up dead. I was really impressed with that one.

And what I've liked about Mars in particular, was that at a time when almost all Mars fiction was about colonization, this one was about a first manned mission to Mars and it felt fairly realistic. I've read a few others in his Grand Tour series, such as Venus, but I felt frustrated as it felt more politics started to intrude and my opinion is that in his newer stuff, his characters progressively started to get less interesting. Venus was frustrating because it didn't even really feel like a story about Venus. Mars Life, his 3rd one set on Mars was good, but not half as good as the first one and much more politically motivated as it came at a time when he really kicked that into high gear.

I don't think I read any of the Mars ones. At least not from him. I did read Kim Stanley Robinsons' Mars trilogy. It was outstanding. Though it took a long time to get through. And the 3rd book was almost completely politics. So you might want to steer clear.

Jeremy Bulloch (Boba Fett) in the original SW films passed today at 75.

Losing Prowse and Bulloch so close together sucks. They were both, by all accounts, remarkable human beings.

A real fan favorite even when you never saw him inside there. RIP

TheMix wrote: ↑Wed Dec 16, 2020 3:10 pm I don't think I read any of the Mars ones. At least not from him. I did read Kim Stanley Robinsons' Mars trilogy. It was outstanding. Though it took a long time to get through. And the 3rd book was almost completely politics. So you might want to steer clear.

Yeah, I never got into those particular books, perhaps for those reasons. I mean, I don't mind politics in a story, I guess I just don't like it when politics start to take over from everything else. I like it better when it's well-balanced. There's a book called Moving Mars by Greg Bear which went overload on politics, and I remember feeling like the politics in that book took almost 50% of the book and I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as I'd hoped I would.

My recollection of KSR's Mars series is:

• Red Mars - all about the science: space travel, terraforming, etc.
  Green Mars - ??? I don't actually remember. I think it was mostly terraforming with some politics starting to form.
  Blue Mars - All politics

Just looked at the Wiki entry for the trilogy to make sure I had the order right, and it says:

• Red Mars - Colonization
  Green Mars - Terraforming
  Blue Mars - Long Term Results

So you could probably get away with reading the first one. And maybe the second one. Before the politics intruded.

And to get back on track. RIP to our latest Star Wars icon.

Skinypupy wrote: ↑Thu Dec 17, 2020 6:07 pm Jeremy Bulloch (Boba Fett) in the original SW films passed today at 75.

Losing Prowse and Bulloch so close together sucks. They were both, by all accounts, remarkable human beings.

If you've never seen Comic Book: The Movie, there's a great scene where Billy West (Futurama's Philip Fry among many, MANY other credits) and Mark Hamill bump into three guys sitting at a cafeteria table at a convention. The three men are David Prowse, Jeremy Bulloch, and Peter Mayhew.

I tried to find a clip but was unsuccessful.

ambient composer Harold Budd - contracted COVID-19 in a stroke rehab facility

https://www.brooklynvegan.com/harold-bu ... -in-peace/
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/17/arts ... virus.html

TheMix wrote: ↑Thu Dec 17, 2020 10:26 pm My recollection of KSR's Mars series is:
[...]

Oh man I popped into this thread from the bottom and was convinced that Kim Stanley Robinson had died.

Don't do that to me!

Phil Niekro, Baseball Hall of Famer and Braves Legend, Dies at Age 81

That boy could pitch.

Dawn Wells, the girl-next-door actress and former beauty queen who played the sweet Mary Ann Summers on the iconic CBS sitcom 'Gilligan's Island,' died Tuesday of causes related to COVID-19 http://thr.cm/jncjyBN

Dang, she was dreamy.

She was everybody's favorite. Had a tough life for awhile there. RIP

dbt1949 wrote: ↑Wed Dec 30, 2020 4:12 pm She was everybody's favorite. Had a tough life for awhile there. RIP

She was certainly mine. RIP

My favorite too. RIP

I started at the bottom of this thread and as soon as I saw "She was everybodys favorite" I instantly knew it was Dawn. Damnit. She was my favorite for sure. So cute and perky and perfect. Damn COVID. She always seemed so sweet and kind in real life too. RIP little woman.

She was under appreciated in her time...

...and the rest...

Most recently known as the "Granny busted for distributing weed." That sucks, I liked her too.

Samuel Little, the most prolific serial killer in US history, dies at 80. "Foul play is not suspected in Little's death"

Little eventually confessed to strangling 93 women across the country between 1970 and 2005.
...
In October 2019, FBI officials said they believed his confessions in all 93 killings were credible and that they had verified 50 of them.

The number of murders Little confessed to surpassed those of other notorious serial killers.

Gary Ridgway, dubbed the Green River Killer, was convicted of 49 murders and confessed to about 20 more. Ted Bundy and John Wayne Gacy each murdered upwards of 30 people, but Bundy was suspected of more.

Kinda a shame they get to live out their lives. Then again killing them quickly is too good for them.

Having worked in a maximum security prison that houses serial killers, I have to say that if it were me, I'd be happier being killed or executed than 'living out my life.'

Bummer! Now Tanya Roberts bites the dust at 65. Not Covid19 related, but sonofa...

She was cute but couldn't compete with the other Charlie's Angels. Still, I liked her.

Damnit. Always had the hots for her. Fell in love with her for Beastmaster the movie starring Marc Singer. That lake scene. Also loved her in That 70s Show. Funny I never liked her as as a Charlies Angel. Her red hair and hoarse like voice. Mmm. Wow she was older than I thought too. Walked her dogs and collapsed and never got better.

I remember about 20 years ago I heard her do a radio ad for some Vegas time share scam. She sounded like she was on coke.

Shame.

Children of Bodom frontman Alexi Laiho passes at 41.

A bit surprised he lasted this long, as his penchant for drug abuse and self-destruction was somewhat legendary, even within metal circles. I was never a huge fan, but saw them a couple times at festivals and he did put on a hell of a show and had a ton of talent.

RIP.

Tanya Roberts still alive!

They say she is in poor condition. Still no idea what happened.

“Now, you are telling me she’s alive?” O’Brien said before breaking down in tears.

“The hospital is telling me she is alive. They are calling me from the ICU team,” O’Brien said.

O’Brien said that Roberts did not have COVID-19 but due to hospital protocols, he was not allowed to be at her bedside at Cedars Sinai Medical Center to comfort her until what he thought were final hours on Sunday.

“When she saw me and I was there, I saw her eyes open up. I felt good. I said, ‘Hey, her eyes are opening. Her eyes are opening.’ They told me that's just a reflex,” O’Brien said.

He added that the hospital staff told him she “had no hope to live.”

Jarod Nandin, "The South Park Guy" Cosplayer, Has Died

I remember him for this. He was perfect.

Jarod Nandin, a World of Warcraft player and cosplayer best known for his depiction of South Park’s Jenkins, has died of Covid.

OK, I know I've spoken out about celebs not getting their own thread and being lumped in here.
But I'm fine with this one.