Virtual Reality, Memories of Alhambra and Historical Drama

Posted on January 6, 2022 by Aya Katz

This week Julia Hanna and I talked about virtual reality in the context of the Korean series, Memories of Alhambra (알함브라 궁전의 추억) . Memories of Alhambra stars Hyun Bin, best known for his role in Crash Landing on You, and Park Shin-hye, the female lead in Start-Up.

The series is set in Granada, Spain, and it features the historical backdrop of the medieval castle of Alhambra. The main characters in the series are all Koreans, but much of the action takes place in Granada.

Non-player characters in the game may speak Spanish, but the dialogue between main characters takes place in Korean.

Memories of Alhambra

In today’s market, virtual reality is making a comeback, with the introduction of Oculus Quest 2. Facebook Meta is encouraging users to buy the bulky goggles and to engage in physical exercise while playing video games. To avoid hitting walls or falling off balconies, the VR system offers virtual boundaries that users should not cross for their own protection.

In Memories of Alhambra, the dangers of virtual reality take on a more supernatural aspect. Instead of bulky goggles, players wear light weight contact lenses to see things that are not actually there. Virtual swords somehow can kill real life players, which in turn become non-player characters in the game. The non-player ghosts of real players who have died then come back again and again to pursue their killers. This happens even when the players do not have their virtual reality contact lenses on.

One of the odd notions in the series, which is set in Granada, Spain, but populated almost exclusively with Koreans, is that it is not a problem that players in the VR game are killed by one another in real life using virtual swords, but it is a serious defect in the program that they later reappear as zombie-like non-player characters that have to be killed over and over again.

For a more detailed discussion, tune in to our talk on Rumble at 8:45 pm CT on January 6, 2022, embedded below.

Our talk on Rumble

Toward the end of our discussion, Julia and I noted that some real life stories from history are just as dramatic as fantasy television, though based entirely on fact. We spoke a little about the history of Juliusz Katz-Suchy, my communist great uncle. In the short embedded below you can see him speaking before the United Nations in 1948 about the siege of Jerusalem, when at the time his own brother was living within the walls of the besieged city.

RELATED LINKS

https://youtu.be/CO3P4IkctGE

https://hubpages.com/politics/Chocolate-Under-Communism

Ambassador Juliusz Katz-Suchy addresses the UN in 1948 concerning the siege of Jerusalem

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New Year’s Eve Talk and Filksing

Posted on January 4, 2022 by Aya Katz

On December 31, 2021 Julia Hanna and I hosted an online gathering that included a talk given by handwriting expert Kate Gladstone, and that was followed by a filksing featuring filk legend Leslie Fish and Katrina Joyner. Kate Gladstone also contributed to the filking, with original songs of her own, as well as by performing the songs of others.

The Parties Assembled

There is a list of the contents of the video embedded below. Because the video is five and a half hours long, it is divided into chapters for your convenience.

Some of the Chapters in This Five and a Half Hour Long Video

You can watch it all, or you can choose which part of the gathering you would like to view.

CONTENT 00:00:00 We go live and chaos ensues 00:12:27 Katrina sings “Fill the Cup & Drink It Down” by Heather Rose Jones 00:16:48 Kate’s talk about “Doctor Handwriting” begins 00:27:19 Kate sings “The Day We Learned to Write: The Doctors’ Handwriting Song” 00:37:32 Leslie sings “The Day It Fell Apart” 01:26:32 Kate sings “Doctor or Druggist I Don’t Care” 01:37:47 Leslie sing “Jobson’s Amen” — lyrics by Kipling 01:48:01 Katrina sings “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” by Anonymous 01:50:47 Kate sings “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” by Ogden Nash 01:53:14 Leslie sings “Fundies” 02:06:22 Leslie sings “Avalon is Risen” 02:16:59 Katrina sings “Loki” by Mikhail Graham 02:27:00 Leslie sings “Do Not Seek To Know What Lies” 02:33:07 Leslie sings “Wanderer” 02:39:16 Katrina sings “An Army of Crows” 02:47:42 Leslie sings filk on “Banned from Argo” by Mark Mandel 02:52:57 Kate sings “Banned from Aleph” by Kevin Wald 03:03:23 Leslie sings “The Word of God” by Cat Faber 03:09:58 Katrina sings “Hot Mess” 03:13:42 Leslie sings “Bella Ciao” by Italian Partisans 03:19:58 Kate sings “The Devil Went Down to Georgia, A Calvinist Exegesis” 03:30:38 Leslie sings “Disbelief” or “The Devil Went Down to Phoenix” 03:37:06 Katrina sings “Everybody Hates Elves” by Kari Morris 03:45:45 Leslie sings “Gremlins” 03:51:14 Leslie sings “The End of the Raven (by Edgar Allen Poe’s Cat)” by Kyle Phillips 03:58:38 Katrina sings “I am Groot” 03:59:45 Kate sings “Hymn of Leslie’s Night Cats” 04:02:30 Katrina sings “Molly Malone from the Cat Perspective” by Emily Rush 04:07:25 Leslie sings “Filking and Gaming Bands” (to Leslie’s tune for Jubal &Tubal Cain) 04:11:20 Leslie sings “An Owner Whose Name is Fish” — based on Horsetamer’s Daughter 04:20:40 Leslie sings “They Were Having a Sale at the Gun Store” 04:44:00 Leslie sings “The White Man’s Recant” By Joe Abbot

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Misconceptions About Religion

Posted on December 31, 2021 by Aya Katz

The greatest misconception that one person can have about another person’s religion is that the other person is somehow less informed or not as intelligent or more primitive to be taken in by the imagery in the representation of the godhead, or the creation story or the ethics of the religion in question.

Atheists sometimes imagine that believers are simpletons, while Monotheists tend to look down on Polytheism as being more primitive than believing in a single, centralized god for the entire universe.

Talking about religion

Recently Julia Hanna and I talked about some of the glaring misconceptions that stand in the way of mutual understanding between people of different faiths.

Here is a short list of things that might help us to understand others of a different faith:

  1. Religion is not primarily about facts. That is the role of science. Religion is about feelings, preferences, values and culture.
  2. When you want to know if someone worships a god, the question is not whether or not the god exists. The question is whether the god as depicted in the religion is loved by the worshiper.
  3. Love is only in the mind of one who loves. The same is true of worship. It is entirely possible to worship without seeking a concrete form for the thing worshipped.

For a more detailed discussion, watch the video embedded below.

Our Talk on Rumble
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Filksing with Mark Horning and Samantha Moore

Posted on December 20, 2021 by Aya Katz

On Friday, December 17, Julia Hanna and I hosted a filksing with Mark Horning and Samantha Moore.

Mark Horning is a singer/songwriter from California currently living in Arizona. He has been active in the filk community from 1993.

Mark Horning

Samatha Moore is a singer/ songwriter who is also very active in SCA and creative anachronim. She lives in Florida.

Samantha Moore singing

Here is the list of songs with easy access to them in the video embedded above.

CONTENT 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:42 Mark sings Rudyard Kipling’s “Christmas in India” 00:08:41 Mark sings Dave Hatfield’s “Jewel in the Night” 00:15:56 Samantha sings “Another Man’s War” 00:21:18 Mark sings “Sword & Shield” 00:25:46 Samantha sings “I am Able” 00:30:21 Mark sings “The Arizona Sword” 00:37:45 Samantha sings “Grendel’s Song” 00:43:44 Mark sings “Quest Not for Glory” 00:52:09 Samantha sings “Who Serve the Soldiers” 00:57:05 Mark sings Joe Ellis’s “And the Sky Full of Stars” 01:04:24 Samantha sings “Melano’s Song” 01:10:33 Mark sings “Melusine 01:17:43 Samantha sings “True Love Never Dies” 01:22:23 Mark starts Cynthia McQuillin’s “Bring Me a Star” but technical difficulties ensue. 01:24:42 Mark sings J. Kare’s filk on C. Mcquillin’s “Fuel to Feed the Drive,” Fool to Feed the Drive”. 01:28:57 Samantha sings M. Lackey & L. Fish’s “Captain Sygny Mallory” 01:32:27 Mark sings J. Ecklar’s “Hero’s Song” 01:36:01 Samantha sings L. Fish’s “Chickasaw Mountain” 01:39:00 Mark sings H. Alexander and M. Lackey’s song “Like the River” 01:43:40 Aya reads the lyrics to Teri Lee’s “Time Winds Tavern” 01:48:00 Samantha sings “If Their Memories Fade” 01:53:49 Mark sings “Between the Fire and the Stone” 02:09:16 Samatha sings M. Lackey and L. Fish “Snow Magic” 02:14:54 Mark sings J. Hardy’s “The Tinker’s Coin” 02:32:01 Mark sings “Sing with Me”

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If you would like to order Samantha or Mark’s CDs, here is where to find them:

Samantha’s website: https://www.hartshavenmusic.com/

Mark’s CD: https://markhorning.bandcamp.com/releases

Posted in Composers, Lyricists, Music, Musical Styles, Musicians | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Reviewing Hometown Cha Cha Cha

Posted on December 9, 2021 by Aya Katz
Birdseye view of shenanigans on Hometown Cha Cha Cha

What if everything that your small town had to offer you was lavished on your upbringing and education? What if from humble beginnings you were accepted into one of the best universities in the country? What if after graduation you kind of disappeared for a while, only to reappear in your hometown without any semblance of a career? How would everybody back home react to the return of the prodigal? You might think that I am referring to Rory Gilmore on her return to Stars Hollow in A Year in the Life. But no, I am reviewing the South Korean series Hometown Cha Cha Cha (갯마을 차차차).

Hometown Cha Cha Cha is directed by  Yoo Je-won (유제원) and written by Sin Ha-eun (신하은). The show stars Kim Seon-ho as Hong Du-sik, and Shin Min-ah as Yoon Hye-Jin. Kim Seon-ho is the same actor who played Mr. Han in Start-up. He plays a very similar role in this series, except that this time he does get the girl.

Hometown Cha Cha Cha is a very successful romantic comedy. It first aired from August 28 to October 17, 2021 on tvN. It was the highest rated series on cable in television history — so far.

Hometown Cha Cha Cha reminds me of a lot of other shows. It’s a little bit like Northern Exposure, except with a female dentist instead of a male doctor and a male jack-of-all-trades, instead of a female pilot. Its storyline is a lot like Start-Up, except that instead of just one cute grandmother for our hero to dote over, there are actually three grandmothers!

Kim Gam-Ri, everyone’s favorite grandmother (played by Kim Young-Ok)

Hometown Cha Cha Cha has a multigenerational cast, including elderly people, small children, young adults and older adults in their thirties, forties and fifties.

Ju-Ri is the k-pop idol loving daughter of the musically inclined cafe owner.

Ju-Ri, who wants braces but decides against it when her idol recognizes her by her snaggle-tooth smile

Bo-Ra is the spunky daughter of the owners of the local supermarket, named after her. Yi-Jun is the math genius son of the divorced couple, whose reason for divorcing is a big mystery. There are actually three mysteries to solve in this series: 3. Why the divorce? 2. Who won the lottery? and 1. Why did Hong Du-sik return home to live on minimum wage as a jack of all trades, when he went to the best university and graduated with honors as an engineer?

A stylized rendering of “Cha Cha Cha” in the King’s Letters: 차차차

But an even greater mystery is this: what does cha cha cha mean? If you are really curious, follow this link: Cha Cha Cha explained! And translated…

The small town supporting cast reminds me of Gilmore Girls‘ denizens of Stars Hollow. The fictional seaside town of Gongjin is actually based on Pohang, South Korea.

On the Left: Three grandmothers loved by our hero

Despite featuring a multigenerational cast, Hometown Cha Cha Cha shows us no intact three generation families living together in idyllic Gongjin. The grandmothers all have children and grandchildren who have moved away to the big city or to live abroad. The young couples with school age children do not appear to have any parents living in Gongjin. Our hero, Chief Hong, is an orphan who lost his parents and his grandparents, and who was raised by the village at large. Small town life in this series is almost a fractured fairy tale.

Hometown Cha Cha Cha has a lot of borrowings from many different shows, but it is not an exact copy of any of them. It is a pleasant romantic comedy with something for everyone. There is nothing in any part of the story that would offend anyone. It is fun to watch but not very deep.

Chief Hong is a Jack of All Trades

Watch my discussion with Julia Hanna for a more detailed analysis.

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Filksing with Leslie Fish, Anne Prather & Mark Horning

Posted on November 21, 2021 by Aya Katz

On Nov. 19, 2021 we held a filksing with some of filk’s greatest performers. Leslie Fish and Anne Prather are world famous filkers from the heydey of filking’s best. They were joined a little later by Mark Horning, another accomplished filker. You can watch the entire filksing in the video embedded below, or you can choose which song you wish to hear first.

💕The entire filksing from start to finish

The first song was Anne Prather’s “Death Song of a Fighter Pilot”.

The second song was Leslie Fish’s “Born Again.”

Mark Horning’s first song was “Wedding Rings of Steel.”

Mark sings Wedding Rings of Steel.

Below are the entire contents of the Filksing with time stamps for where each song can be found.

00:00:00 Intro, Anne Prather 00:00:42 Anne sings “Death Song of a Fighter Pilot” Lyrics here: http://www.aislinnthebard.com/highWin… 00:06:06 Leslie Sings: “Born Again” 00:11:45 Anne sings “More Than Just a Dream” 00:15:58 Leslie sings “Rhododendron Honey” 00:20:47 Mark sings: “Wedding Rings of Steel” 00:27:30 Aya thanks Sparrow XIII for supporting this channel as a Donor Member! 00:28:14 Anne sings “Drunk Star Pilot” 00:32:53 A close-up of Julia 00:34:01 Leslie sings “Route 40” 00:43:29 Anne sings “Song that Brings the Generations Through” 00:49:32 Mark sings “Home is Where Your Stardrive Lies” 00:56:49 Leslie sings “Better than Who” 01:05:39 Mark sings “Fog” 01:11:42 Leslie sings”The Roots” 01:30:58 Mark sings “Darkness Rising” 01:40:55 Leslie sings “The Tiger in the Heart” 01:43:51 Mark sings “Sword and Shield” 01:47:57 Leslie sings “Ship of Stone” 01:54:14 Mark sings “Between the Fire and the Stone” 02:01:42 Leslie sings “The Freedom of the Snow” 02:08:07 Mark sings “At the End of the Tunnel” 02:22:06 Leslie sings “Welcome to Your Second Home” 02:30:29 Mark sings “Sands of Mars” 02:44:20 Leslie sings “Brother Christian” 02:53:20 Mark sings “Quest Not for Glory” 03:00:04 Leslie sings “The Squatter” 03:05:44 Mark sings “The Wander Light” by Henry Lawson 03:13:29 Leslie Sings “That Kind of Day” 03:27:59 Leslie sings “He was a Very Big Dog” 03:32:00 Leslie sings “My Virgin Mouse” 03:39:14 Leslie sings “Golden Eyes” 03:43:43 Leslie sings “Live and Let Live” 03:49:14 Leslie sings “The Wheel”

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A Persimmon for Bow

Posted on November 16, 2021 by Aya Katz

I have a ten acre hobby farm where I have lived for the past twenty years. Over the years, what used to be our pasture has become a wild, wooded area with many different species of trees. I did not plant any of them. They are all volunteers. And one of the tallest trees with the sweetest fruit is the persimmon tree. Bow and I love the wild persimmon fruit.

Bow enjoys the wild persimmon fruit

The persimmon fruit is loved by many of our wild animals as well. The deer, if they fins a wild persimmon on the ground, will eat it long before I can reach it. Even my free range chickens and ducks might eat of the fallen fruit.

The faen is unafraid

That is why I have had to devise a stratagem for getting the sweet fruit down from the tree before it drops. I use a dead branch from another tree. I shake the fruit with the long branch, and it drops down to the ground. Then I wash the fruit and bring it inside to share with Bow.

Watch how I harvest the persimmon to bring in to Bow

When Bow has eaten the fruit, he gives me the seeds. I do not plant them. I just throw them outside so that nature can decide where a new tree needs to grow. The secret to growing healthy trees is this: do not interfere. As long as you do not mow the grass or rake the leaves, enterprising trees will volunteer to grow. To me, that is the most sustainable option.

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Interview with Jacqueline Lichtenberg and Jean Lorrah

Posted on November 12, 2021 by Aya Katz

Jacqueline Lichtenberg is a co-author of the non-fiction classic Star Trek Lives, along with Sondra Marshak and Joan Winston. This book chronicles the success of Trek fandom in reviving Star Trek for one additional season. Lichtenberg is also known for her Trek fanfic series Kraith. Her Sime~Gen series is still being published, and new novels are in the works.

Interview with Jacqueline Lichtenberg

Jean Lorrah is Jacqueline Lichtenberg’s co-author on the Sime~Gen series. Lorrah is also known for Sarek and Amanda fanfic, Night of the Twin Moons and the Sarek Collection. She also has a fantasy series of her own, Savage Empire.

Interview with Jean Lorrah

This Friday, Nov. 12, 2021, Jacqueline Lichtenberg and Jean Lorrah pair up to talk about their writing together.

Interview with Jacqueline Lichtenberg and Jean Lorrah

Stay tuned for a follow up interview in December!

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Review of “Her Private Life”

Posted on October 25, 2021 by Aya Katz

Her Private Life is a South Korean drama against the backdrop of the artistic life. Sung Duk-Mi is a curator at the Cheom Museum of art by day, and a fan of kpop idol Cha Si-An by night. She also runs a fan website called The Road to Si-An. But being a fangirl is a big secret. If her identity as The Road to Si-An were known, Duk-Mi would lose her job.

Si-An, Duk-Mi’s idol, is himself a fan of Lee Sol, a reclusive artist known to have produced only nine paitings before retiring. Duk-Mi tries to purchase a painting by Lee Sol for Si-An at an art auction, but she is outbid by Ryan Gold, a famous artist who lost his ability to paint when he first beheld a painting by Lee Sol.

one of Lee Sol’s paintings

Ryan Gold is a Korean adopted by Americans as a child. He returns to Korea and assumes the directorship of the museum where Duk-Mi works. Through a series of comical events Ryan Gold and Duk-Mi embark on a relationsip. The story of the relationship is the typical romatic comedy that Korean drama leads us to expect. To me, the art of Lee Sol was far more interesting. Each of the nine paintings offers a clue to Ryan Gold’s real identity and his relationship with the artist Lee Sol. They are intelocking puzzle pieces.

All of Li Sol’s paintings

When Ryan Gold eventually begins painting again, after a tearful reunion with his mother, I realized I never really believed in him as a painter. Whereas Lee Sol’s paintings told a story, Ryan Gold’s painting is just added splotches of paint to a portrait that was traced from a shadow of Duk-Mi.

Ryan Gold’s portrait of Duk-Mi

I enjoyed watching this series because of the way it addressed the question of art and of fandom. The love story, the childhood abandonment trope and the fact that everyone in the story seems to have met before when they were children are not what impressed me. But the story of Lee Sol and her art was intriguing.

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Interview with Jean Graham

Posted on October 23, 2021 by Aya Katz

Julia Hanna and I interviewed Jean Graham on our show on Oct. 22, 2021.

Jean Graham is a writer of short stories in both the horror and the science fiction genre. Her work is available on Amazon.

Before becoming a professional writer, Jean Graham was a member of many fandoms where she wrote, edited and published fanzines. Some of her work is archived at Archive of our Own.

The Filksing begins here.

After the interview, Jean Graham, Julia and I were joined by Leslie Fish, for additional conversation and filking.

A very nice time was had by all! Our next filksing is scheduled for Nov. 19, 2021.

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