Just settling in to watch the new HBO original series, Rome. Hopefully, it will be better than Empire was on ABC. Check back later this evening or tomorrow for a more detailed account of what I thought of it.

UPDATE: Well, that was definitely a much more rewarding experience than the ABC, though I can say that much of what made it so would have been impossible for ABC, given "broadcast decency" standards. It's amazing how much historical accuracy our society sacrifices to the gods of decency, how much authenticity is lain at the feet of our puritanical myopia. But, I digress. The producers of Rome seem to have gone to great effort to insure the veracity of the story that they are telling. Surely, they are taking some dramatic license, but the core events and people of the story are as accurate as they possibly could be. The violence and sensuality of ancient Rome really come through in the depictions of the city and the portrayals of its people. The simple fact that Octavian is a young boy, no older than 13, rather than a simpering, spoiled pseudo-adult, is enough to make this the superior production. Add to that they inclusion of Pompey, Atia of the Julii, and a much younger Antony and disengaged Brutus, and you get a show that every person who has ever studied the Rome of the late Republic and early Empire should see. I encourage all of you that have HBO to tune in next Sunday at 8pm CDT (9pm EDT) for the second episode and be sure to catch the encore presentation of the premiere that is sure to come this week. Afterwards, be sure to stop by and let me know what you think.

Labels: hbo, history, rome, tv

Posted by Brooks Travis |

At midnight tonight, my alma mater, Southwest Missouri State University officially became Missouri State University. To mark the event, there were midnight madness celebrations held, and, shockingly, the University Bookstore was actually open on a Sunday! *gasp* This name change has been a long time in the works, ever since SMS became the state's second-largest institution of higher education back in the late 80s or early 90s. After many long years of struggle, the state legislature was finally able to hammer out a compromise this past spring, thanks in large part to Governor Matt Blunt's assistance (a.k.a. threat to cut funding to MU)—at least he's good for something.

Here's hoping that the school will take this opportunity to re-focus itself and really do something to deserve the name it has been given, hopefully beginning with a concerted effort to join the 21st century and begin to emphasize the use of technology both in and out of the classroom. Look for an entry that goes into more detail on my technology vision for the University in the coming weeks. For now, however, I simply say congratulations.

Posted by Brooks Travis |

Ever since the launch of iTunes 4.9 back in June, Podcasting can definitely be said to have gone "mainstream". Prior to the addition of podcasting to iTunes, I used the free aggregator iPodder to download my podcasts. This was a pain. The integration between the program and my iPod just wasn't up to the level that I was expecting. Thankfully, iTunes has addressed many of my issues, while raising a few others, but that's a topic for a different entry. We're here to find out what my top podcasts are, so without further ado, here you go:

1. this WEEK in TECH
2. Inside Mac Radio
3. The MacCast
4. The Official Battlestar Galactica Podcast
5. The Combat Information Center
6. Mugglecast & Pottercast (Tie)
7. KCRW's Left, Right, & Center
8. Security Now

As you can see, they're all either tech, TV, or literature-related. I also subscribe to commandN, a video podcast, "vidcast", which I enjoy a great deal, but you can't watch it on an iPod (yet). It features Amber Mac and Mike Lazazzera from Call for Help. I definitely recommend checking it out. It comes in two version, one in MPEG-4 and another in h.264. The above link is for the h.264 version, which requires QuickTime 7. So, go out and have a look or listen at some of these podcasts and let me know what you think. Also, feel free to post your favorites in the comment area. Happy listening!

Posted by Brooks Travis |

As I'm sure many of you have noticed by now, Vincit Veritas has undergone a bit of a redesign, thanks in great part to the team over at Blogger Templates. I also want to thank Amber and Mike over at commandN for pointing me in their direction. This site's design is based on one of their more recent postings. I simply removed the "neat" but ultimately annoying scroller and customized the expanding/collapsing sidebar. Ultimately, I think I'm going to be much happier with this look than the old one. Lord knows, I'll probably change it again, but I'm finally satisfied with the look of the site.

In other site-related news, be on the lookout for information on my ongoing SF writing and criticism projects. I'll probably be posting or linking to some excerpts from my in-progress work and asking you for your input. Also, when I finish my first novel, or collection of short stories (whichever happens first), I plan to make it available on LuLu, the on-demand publishing site founded by the co-founder of Redhat Linux. That's it for now. Be well.

Posted by Brooks Travis |