Many people will be taking advantage of the advantagous technology pricing on this extended shopping weekend and purchasing new computers, peripherals, phones, etc.

Many of those people will have problems. Problems installing, problems using, and problems integrating their new purchases with their existing problems.

Many of these people will turn to Internet resources for help.

Before you do, read this. It will save you and others a lot of heartache. Written by the venerable Eric S. Raymond, a well known hacker and developer, it will teach you how to ask for help from those more knowledgable and experienced. In essence, the rules are as follows -

• help yourself as much as you can with basic research and troubleshooting.
• Give detailed and relevant information when asking.
• Be polite.

Realize however, that while sticking to these three rules will help, this FAQ will give you some very clear direction, including examples of questions that will elicit ire or simply be ignored. Those truly skilled in technology are an odd bunch, and it helps to understand them when seeking their help.

My copy of DEFCON arrived today from merry ole’ England – I’d almost forgotten I’d taken the download + boxed option. Very nice looking package; at least on par with mainstream commercial releases in the same price range, with a heavy stock glossy postcard to boot.

A very humourous manual was included, which you can see over here.

Incidentally, to see why I enjoy this game so much, take a look at this thread. The maturity displayed by even the preteens is remarkable; a rarity in general and particularly astounding in the online gaming world.

It took me a few years to start watching Smallville. I was an avid comic reader and collector growing up, and though I preferred Marvel to DC, Superman and Batman were always readable. Moreover, DCAU was fantastic, not just far better than any Marvel animated adaptation, but some of the original Batman series episodes are truly masterpieces of artwork and storytelling. Nevertheless, I avoided Smallville, partly because I was out of the country when it started to air, and partly because I had no desire to watch a teensoap version of Clark and friends. I eventually did see some episodes, and as a friend of mine accurately said -the show is junk – except for the handling of the two important father-son relationships and the interaction between Lex and Clark. Now one of those fathers is dead (perhaps to match the iconic films of the ’80s – in the comics Pa Kent is alive and well) shattering the parallels and leaving us with somewhat episodic junk.

There is so much material from which to draw, that it is unforgivable to give the Superman mythos this treatment – though perhaps it is unfair to expect the show to become more than it ever was. Last season was junk; other than the aforementioned death, it seemed to be one pointless episode after another. Most emblematic of this trend was the “guest” appearance of Aquaman – already the most pointless character ever to grace the pages of a major comic – as a Baywatch-extra-cum-eco-terrorist.

Tonight, in an episode echoing the worst “freak of the week” episodes of the first few seasons, there is a side story involving Clark going up against a Phantom Zone escapee who is just in another weight division. A mysterious speed demon saves Clark at the last minute, and leave behind some dark residue. I thought perhaps Braniac was returning – after all, Braniac in his various portrayals seems to have a think for protecting Clark/Superman in order to be the one to personally dispatch him – and was pleased, as he was one of the few bright spots on the show last year. Clark wanders off after this mystery man, and finds a shadowy character, whose eyes begin to glow red. I thought – he’s bald too, isn’t he – and then the dark figure flies away, leaving a red trail across the Seattle skyline. A few ignorable scenes later, Clark plays with the residue from his nighttime experience at the docks (well, come on, he’s lonely – not that the scriptwriters are really developing the single most obvious fact about the character, with all the frustration, anger, and humorous possibilities that it should create) which turns out to be an Oreo cookie.

I doubt most viewers will catch the reference, but it is the signature snack of another hero. There is an old saying, “Jews are like everyone else, only more so.” Well this hero is just like Superman, only more so. He’s got the same powers, but a few more; his people are just as dead, but he is more alienated; he even has a worse name – the Martian Manhunter – forever echoing pulp books of the ’40s, where as Superman may be uninteresting, but it doesn’t have the word Martian anywhere in there, and invokes some irony with the whole Aryan concept of the Uebermensch thing. Yes, if Superman was the character needed by a couple of Jewish kids in the ’30s, Martian Manhunter is the hero needed by geeks. Largely unknown, thoroughly alone, more powerful than the popular Man of Steel, polymorphic, he finds his only solace in an addiction to sugary treats. He just may be the sysadmin of the solar system.

It would be nice to see this character get the treatment he deserves. The DCAU version was pretty good, and got better over its five year run. I have no faith that Smallville will portray him with anything near the depth this character needs. With that in mind, I merely hope they take one, nay two, lessons from the DCAU character.

Call him J’onn. Maybe J’onn J’onzz. Not Martian Manhunter. As attested in the recent Green Arrow episodes – especially the Very Special Episode: Ollie’s got a (42 minute) drug problem – Smallville handles costumes the same way everything prior to 2002′s Spiderman did: badly. (Burton’s Batman earns a pass here.) Adding a cheesy name to a goofy makeup job is too much for the poor writers to handle.

Next, remember, he is centuries old and not tied to a particular appearance. He need not appear to be the same age as the other characters. He should not. Even when appearing human, there should be distance between his character and the others. Have him change gender. Ethnicity. The other characters should not feel comfortable around him, certainly not over the span of even a few epsiodes, nor should he be at ease with them.

For better or worse, and probably for better, this is all moot; I doubt we will see him again. Still, the optimist (and geek) within me can’t help but think it’s a shame.

The 5th of November.

Remember that the gunpowder plot was hatched by Catholics in a fervently Protestant land, under a sanctioned oppression that lasted nearly 300 years.

Remember that it is the oppressors’ holiday, but it is unclear who is celebrated.

Remember that the will of one man can outlive that man, if his actions are in concert with the will of others – even if they have yet to agree, or even if those who sympathize have yet to be born.

So sleep as the icon of noble defiance Mr. Fawkes; sleep well.