Issue Five: Science Fiction
November 2, 2024
*QUICK ANNOUNCEMENT*
The people have spoken! After the results of the poll, Know Shit! will soon be switching to a bi-weekly release schedule with shorter quizzes (about 10-15 questions). In order to facilitate the switch up in format we will be taking a month break in December. That means after this issue, the next will be in January 2025 where we will begin the more frequent issues.
OK now that that’s out of the way, enjoy this edition: Science Fiction!
Welcome to issue five of Know Shit! This month while researching for the quiz I learnt that binary code can be translated into text and vice versa. In binary, hello is 01101000 01100101 01101100 01101100 01101111. I know next to nothing about coding but if you ask me, there’s too many zeros and ones in there for such a short word, and don’t even get me started on the binary version of Pseudopseudohypoparathyroidism.
Now you might find this hard to believe, but I didn’t learn to translate English to binary code off the top of my head, I actually used a binary translator on a wonderful thing called *the internet*. It can be a lot of fun translating things to binary and back if you have absolutely literally nothing else to do. The translator I used is linked HERE. Try it out and have the absolute time of your life. If somehow you find that boring, do this quiz instead.
Take a break and check your answers so far !
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On with the quiz…
Micro-Budget Mind-Benders
I thought I’d share a couple of my favourite sci-fi films which have flown under the radar in part due to their minuscule budgets. The first is called “Coherence”.
Shot on a shoestring budget over five days, the heavily improvised sci-fi thriller “Coherence” follows a group of friends at a dinner party. When a comet overhead takes the power out, things start getting wacky. I won’t say any more plot-wise because it’s one of those films where you’re better off going in knowing nothing. It brings all of the great interpersonal tension and paranoia you might expect from a single location thriller like “The Thing” as well as some cerebral sci fi concepts that will keep you guessing throughout. Engaging performances and some well executed twists help to distract from some of the clear low budget constraints. If you’re a fan of sci-fi thrillers and a teeny bit of existential horror, maybe check this one out!
The second film I wanted to recommend is called “Primer”.
The story of this film is simple: Two friends who accidentally invent a Time Machine struggle to keep everything in order as things quickly spiral out of control. What makes this film different is writer/director/star Shane Carruth’s approach. Carruth came from a background in mathematics and software engineering so he brought a scientific lens to the making of the film. Primer portrays time travel in the most grounded, scientifically realistic way possible and does not hold the audience’s hand at all. This is what makes the film feel unapproachable for many, but it is also what makes it so special. The film unfolds like puzzle box that needs repeated viewings to get a grasp of. Under all the layers of confusion there is a compelling emotional journey here too. Similarly to coherence, the film taps into a sense of existential dread that drives the latter half of the picture as things spiral helplessly out of control for the two lead characters.
Even more impressive is the fact that it was shot entirely on film for a budget of $7000. According to Carruth, every inch of film that was shot was used in the final cut. Despite it’s humble beginnings, it went on to win heaps of awards and become a well loved cult classic.
*DISCLAIMER* after writing this, I found out that the director Shane Carruth has been accused of some pretty nasty things a few years ago so if you were going to watch the film I would recommend pirating it. 🏴☠️
November Playlist
It’s that time of year when the beautiful spring sun is starting to come out . To celebrate, I made a playlist of some light springtime tunes that will- oh it’s gone again never mind.
Listen on Apple Music.
Listen on Spotify.
Answers (pt i)
DO NOT READ UNTIL YOU HAVE COMPLETED PART ONE OF THE QUIZ!!!
A. Rum and Raspberries.
If you’re interested in smelling like space, NASA have developed perfumes “Eau de Space” and Eau de Luna” so you can smell just like the infinite void.
Click here for NASA's Eau de Space.
S.W.O.R.D (Sentient World Observation and Response Department).
Star Wars.
For many years, the in-universe music genre was known as jizz. Yes, jizz. However, Disney seemingly attempted to retcon the name to jatz in a 2023 novelisation leading to a fan outcry and some brilliant headlines such as: Star Wars is officially dead: Disney retcons Jizz. It should be noted that there is some debate as to weather the term has actually been retconned as some believe that jatz is actually a seperate genre of music in Star Wars meaning jizz music could still be canon.
Among Us.
C. Five-minute Time Machine.
Yogurt.
2001: A Space Odyssey.
Innies and outies.
Bullet Time.
The Twilight Zone.
The Maze Runner.
Distance.
Dune Part II.
David Tennant.
Fry.
In episode nineteen of season three titled “Roswell That Ends Well” the gang travels back in time and Fry accidentally gets his grandfather killed and sleeps with his own grandmother.
Answers (pt ii)
DO NOT READ UNTIL YOU HAVE COMPLETED PART TWO OF THE QUIZ!!!
The X-Files.
Jared Leto.
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
Roswell.
William Shatner.
David Bowie.
Zurg.
Paul.
Earth.
This question is made up of binary which translates to: Question 25: which two numbers is binary made up of? The answer of course being: 1 and 0.
Your final score will be X/25.
Thanks for playing! See you in the future… (AKA next issue.)
P.S. Here’s a couple of really well made videos about alien life that will make you have an existential crisis!