SPOILERS Moving Pictures Discussion **Spoilers**

[RathDarkblade]

True. I started reading Asimov when I was 6 or 7* (his astronomy books for youngsters)**, and was always discovering new Asimovian delights. I started with his analysis of Gulliver's Travels, then moved on to his space-based mystery stories, as well as the Black Widowers and Union Club mysteries, and a collection of humourous stories...

Strangely enough, for an Asimovian geek like me, I could never get into Asimovian sci-fi stories - although, of course, I am aware of the Three Laws of Robotics.***

Anyway, that concludes this unusually-footnote-rich post!

_______________________________________________________________
* I learned to read and write when I was 3. Yes, I was a precocious kid.

** I remember being terrified as a 7-year-old to read about black holes. Nowadays, of course, I know that a black hole exists on earth, and it sucks up time and money without releasing much in return: it's called Parliament.

*** You know - the ones that Pterry had so much fun with in Going Postal. You know the ones. :twisted:

 

[amogaspode]

I see no one has commented here in a while, but I have a question with this book I hope someone can help me with. No spoilers involved.

You know how Pterry uses different words for things in his books? Like banged grains for popcorn? Well, what would be our word for "Clicks"? I have read this book at least 4 times (just finished it again this morning), and this never bothered me (because I think I knew what that word was) - but age is creeping up on me and I can't remember - and it's making me crazy. Help please...

 

[ThinkingFox]

what would be our word for "Clicks"?

It bugged me for a while too.

Clicks = Flicks as in "The Flicks"... as in "Flickering Pictures" because the first films were shown using flickering lamps in the old projectors.

So Clicks = Movies.

 

[Tonyblack]

I concur - "The Flicks" was one of the first nicknames for the cinema. In this case flicks is for flickering lights while clicks are for the sound the projector/camera make as the handle is turned.

 

[amogaspode]

Thanks for the answers. "Flicks" has to be it, though it still doesn't sound right in my head. But then there are days when I spell "the" and it looks wrong too. Maybe my head is broken...

 

[Tonyblack]

Thanks for the answers. "Flicks" has to be it, though it still doesn't sound right in my head. But then there are days when I spell "the" and it looks wrong too. Maybe my head is broken...

Ha! No, you are not alone! I remember writing the word "are" and being convinced it didn't look right.

 

[Dotsie]

It’s flicks for me!

 

[Tonyblack]

It's a very weird phenomenon, isn't it?

 

[Dotsie]

It might be semantic satiation, or that might be when you hear a word so many times it sounds like gibberish - maybe the written version is called the same. It was on QI, but I don't remember when.

 

[Mixa]

It might be semantic satiation, or that might be when you hear a word so many times it sounds like gibberish

That's soooo true!

Mx

 

[Sully]

Does anyone know which roundworld studio names Terry was aping with these;
Floating Bladder Pictures = ?
Microlithic pictures = ?

Other ones were ok, I think I got them (Fir wood studios = Pinewood studios, Untied Alchemists = United Artists) but the two above my brain just won't click.

 

[Tonyblack]

A quote from Annotated Pratchett Files

[p. 132] Film studio names.

Untied Alchemists is United Artists. Fir Wood Studios is Pinewood Studios. Microlithic Pictures is Paramount (tiny rock vs. big mountain), and Century Of The Fruitbat is Twentieth Century Fox. Terry says: "I've already gone electronically hoarse explaining that Floating Bladder Productions was just picked out of the air [...]"

I must admit I puzzled over those two as well.

 

[Sully]

A quote from Annotated Pratchett Files

I must admit I puzzled over those two as well.

Thank you for that! D'oh Paramount ...of course. Not fair he put in one fake one too.

 

[RathDarkblade]

Floating Bladder Productions ... to be honest, it sounds like the kind of name you'd come up with after having one too many pints down the pub. 'Cos, you know, that's where most "great ideas" happen, right?

I wouldn't be surprised if Terry's first idea was Floating Kidney Studios before common sense prevailed.

But a name like Floating Bladder Productions inevitably reminds me of Toad the Wet Sprocket. You know, from this classic bit:

Eric Idle later reflected on the band's name in a 1999 performance:

I once wrote a sketch about rock musicians, and I was trying to think of a name that would be so silly nobody would ever use it, or dream it could ever be used. So I wrote the words "Toad the Wet Sprocket." And a few years later, I was driving along the freeway in LA, and a song came on the radio, and the DJ said, "that was by Toad the Wet Sprocket," and I nearly drove off the freeway.

 

[=Tamar]

Floating Bladder Productions being picked out of the air was obviously a joke, but there was also a TV program produced by Nickelodeon, I think it was, that had a logo of hot air balloons.