"The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool." - William Shakespeare
Two of my friends and I have been holding a series of movie days, in which we are forcing each other to watch things that we believe to be simply necessary. The majority of these so far have been spent watching Firefly (although Princess Bride was also in there). Tonight we held our party at a different house than usual, which means that I got to meet that friend's family (I like them rather a lot), and got to observe their Hanukkah celebration.
My other friend and I kind of hung around at the back while they were lighting the menorah candles and praying, which was hilarious because the match refused to light. ("It's definitely us. The heathens need to leave or else God won't let the ceremony take place.") Except they're only half Jewish, which means they received Christmas ornaments as presents tonight. xD
It was pretty cool. And my other friend and I were each given a bar of chocolate all wrapped up and everything, which was entirely unexpected and very nice.
We're also now officially on winter break, which is far better than very nice. So yay for that, and I hope whatever holiday you do or do not celebrate this time of year is wonderful for you.
Showing posts with label movies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label movies. Show all posts
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Friday, August 12, 2011
A Better Life
"Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength." - Eric Hoffer
I went to see A Better Life with my aunt and cousin last night at this, for want of a better word, indie theater near my house. It's about an illegal immigrant trying to support and take care of his teenage son. While it was very depressing and employed every stereotype about Mexican immigrants we could think of on the way home, I enjoyed it and have some thoughts I wanted to share.
I know that there are real people who suffer just as much as and in similar ways as Carlos and his son. I'll leave the politics alone, but the movie made me think...
How dare I write a blog post about how I'm pissed my school doesn't accomodate my every academic whim? How dare I wish we had the money to send me to Ireland for spring break to visit our family friends who will be there for the semester (this is actually a possibility, but that's beside the point)? How dare I...I don't even know. How dare I be so spoiled?
There are kids all over the world who want nothing more than to be able to go to school, and that's not even counting people like Carlos' son who just go to bad ones. And here I am complaining about the school that I really do love.
Does this make our middle class problems any less "valid," though? It's still real emotions and all, but...we take so much for granted. Yet who doesn't yearn for a better life? Carlos' son has an argument with his father about how he wants money to buy school supplies. Less than an hour earlier, I had an argument with my parents about how I wanted money to go see a movie about a boy needing money to buy school supplies.
This is all fairly typical culture shock, I know, but then again, my best friend's sister is currently building houses in Guatemala, so perhaps I'm not one to talk.
I'll definitely be returning to this theater-- it helps that it's within walking distance of school.
I went to see A Better Life with my aunt and cousin last night at this, for want of a better word, indie theater near my house. It's about an illegal immigrant trying to support and take care of his teenage son. While it was very depressing and employed every stereotype about Mexican immigrants we could think of on the way home, I enjoyed it and have some thoughts I wanted to share.
I know that there are real people who suffer just as much as and in similar ways as Carlos and his son. I'll leave the politics alone, but the movie made me think...
How dare I write a blog post about how I'm pissed my school doesn't accomodate my every academic whim? How dare I wish we had the money to send me to Ireland for spring break to visit our family friends who will be there for the semester (this is actually a possibility, but that's beside the point)? How dare I...I don't even know. How dare I be so spoiled?
There are kids all over the world who want nothing more than to be able to go to school, and that's not even counting people like Carlos' son who just go to bad ones. And here I am complaining about the school that I really do love.
Does this make our middle class problems any less "valid," though? It's still real emotions and all, but...we take so much for granted. Yet who doesn't yearn for a better life? Carlos' son has an argument with his father about how he wants money to buy school supplies. Less than an hour earlier, I had an argument with my parents about how I wanted money to go see a movie about a boy needing money to buy school supplies.
This is all fairly typical culture shock, I know, but then again, my best friend's sister is currently building houses in Guatemala, so perhaps I'm not one to talk.
I'll definitely be returning to this theater-- it helps that it's within walking distance of school.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Family Vacations..EAW-Style
You know, any novel that requires the watching of Pirates of the Caribbean in order to figure out how to write epic sea battles is a novel I am in favor of writing. That said, at least in PotC both sides have cannons (rather than just the bad guys). And, you know, Will Turner.
It's been raining a lot this week, so we haven't gotten much actual beach time in. However, this means we have a lot of time in which to play Uno.
And trust me, we take our Uno seriously here-- to the point where instead of saying "Skip," we shout "SPITE!"
There's also Apples to Apples, in which it's even more important to cater to theGM judge than in D&D. In which "Cuss Words" wins for "Angelic" because we are fans of irony, and the debate for "Convenient" creates more tension than a game of Risk.
And then, of course, is the part when my sister comes upstairs and finds me dramatically explaining mitosis and meiosis to my dad with lots of hand gestures-- both of us with sandwiches in hand. And in typical me-fashion, the sandwiches immediately became a metaphor.
Welcome to vacation with my family, ladies and gentlemen. In which we imbue the very walls with wit, sarcasm, and lame puns (we're very humble- can't you tell? We're the humblest people in the whole world), it takes 6 hours to bake a potato, and Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Better Off Dead are watched...more than once.
It's been raining a lot this week, so we haven't gotten much actual beach time in. However, this means we have a lot of time in which to play Uno.
And trust me, we take our Uno seriously here-- to the point where instead of saying "Skip," we shout "SPITE!"
There's also Apples to Apples, in which it's even more important to cater to the
And then, of course, is the part when my sister comes upstairs and finds me dramatically explaining mitosis and meiosis to my dad with lots of hand gestures-- both of us with sandwiches in hand. And in typical me-fashion, the sandwiches immediately became a metaphor.
Welcome to vacation with my family, ladies and gentlemen. In which we imbue the very walls with wit, sarcasm, and lame puns (we're very humble- can't you tell? We're the humblest people in the whole world), it takes 6 hours to bake a potato, and Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Better Off Dead are watched...more than once.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
I Open At The Close, Part 5: The Remains
"Vitality shows in not only the ability to persist but the ability to start over." - F. Scott Fitzgerald
Honestly, going to see the final Harry Potter movie was not the intense emotional experience I expected and hoped it would be. It was enjoyable, yes, and I did cry a little (The Prince's Tale), but it didn't live up to the expectations set by the tweets of everyone who saw the advanced showing at Leaky Con. And that's fine, really. It's a movie, and it's a movie based off of one of the most emotionally-affecting books I've ever read.
McGonagall, however, was completely awesome.
Honestly, going to see the final Harry Potter movie was not the intense emotional experience I expected and hoped it would be. It was enjoyable, yes, and I did cry a little (The Prince's Tale), but it didn't live up to the expectations set by the tweets of everyone who saw the advanced showing at Leaky Con. And that's fine, really. It's a movie, and it's a movie based off of one of the most emotionally-affecting books I've ever read.
McGonagall, however, was completely awesome.
I don't really feel any different, short of the fact that there isn't anything left to look forward to with unrivaled anticipation. That makes me sad, of course, but I don't feel as if I've lost anything.
Here's a quote from an article I read on NPR yesterday: "If those kids keep buying all things Potter — books, movies, and whatever else they come up with — Harry could go from the 'Boy Who Lived' to the 'Boy Who Lived Forever.'" And he will.
I have a cousin who was born the week Deathly Hallows Part 1 hit theaters. I'll be able to experience the wonder of the series over again with him once he's old enough, as well as with my own eventual children, nieces/nephews, and so on. And my generation will keep Harry Potter as a shared memory-- and what's unique to us is the mixture of pain and joy that comes from waiting with bated breath for the next book to be published. No one else will ever be able to have that.
And that's what makes me saddest: not the fact that it's "over," because it's not, but that future generations won't be able to have what we have had. It's been such an enormous, all-affecting part of my life and the lives of many, many others. And I wish everyone could have that opportunity.
Of course, there will be other fantastic books and other fantastic series, and I will read them and love them. But Harry Potter is my first love, my greatest love, and my longest-lasting love (in terms of books, that is), and it will always hold the place of honor on my shelves, and in my life.
It's hard not to make an ironic or self-mocking comment after a sappy conclusion like that, but I am being completely sincere.
It's hard not to make an ironic or self-mocking comment after a sappy conclusion like that, but I am being completely sincere.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
We Wear The Same Bow Tie
"More of me comes out when I improvise." - Edward Hopper
Having gone to the beach for the weekend, I thought the 6 combined hours of sitting in a car would make for an excellent opportunity to catch up on a couple episodes of Pop Culture Happy Hour (and then be bored for the other four and a half hours in which I did not have another episode).
One of the people on said podcast was talking about how excited he was about Kung-fu Panda 2, and I'd seen on his Twitter feed a few days before that he apparently cried more than once during the movie. I love this for a couple of reasons.
1. This is a grown man who is legitimately excited about Kung-fu Panda, unrelated to the fact that his kids probably also wanted to see it.
2. This is a grown man who is willing to admit that not only did he cry, but that he cried during an animated movie.
I don't particularly care whether you're a person given to crying. Some are, and some aren't, and that's fine. However, it makes me very happy when people (especially guys over the age of 13) admit that they have/do, regardless of how frequently. So yay for Stephen Thompson.
There's this weird cultural thing going on where crying is associated with weakness, and fragility, and irrationality, and a lack of masculinity. Which implies that a) emotions are bad, and b) emotions are not a manly thing to have. Both of which are absolutely ridiculous.
That being said, strong emotions certainly can and do have negative side-effects. They can cloud your judgement, consume your mind, and utterly destroy your ability to empathize.
And that's what I think it is: the temporary loss of empathy. It's not that you're being irrational, strictly speaking. You've just undergone a significant shift in priorities that says "I do not freaking care what's going on in your head. I'm not even going to try to see things from your point of view, because what I'm feeling is far more important."
It's just an evolutionary thing-- emotions are there for a reason, and our reactions to them are there for a reason too. We "irrationally" hate that which causes us pain, and we get "irrationally" upset when something we value is taken away. The hate drives us to get as far away from the pain-causer as possible, and the loss we feel drives us to replace the stolen thing- or steal it back.
Once the strong emotions subside, empathy returns, along with our "rational" mind. (Hold on...there's more to the world than just Me?) The trick is to be able to recognize what's going on, and to keep from acting on it until it's passed.
It's not a weakness to be sad, and it's not wrong to have powerful reactions sweep you off your feet. What is a weakness is to not be able to cope with it in constructive ways. Emotion is probably both the best and worst part of being human. It's perfectly natural, though, and I think that if more people really believed/accepted/understood that, there'd be less hard feelings across the board.
So I apologize for any and all past and future cases in which I have failed to empathize with any of you. I don't condemn myself for it, since I do believe that it (in the type of situation discussed above) is an unavoidable part of life, but all people deserve the respect of being viewed as a fellow person trying to make his or her way in the world.
And because I am a massive nerd, I am now deciding that it shall be my new goal to remember that we all wear the same figurative bow tie, which is cool. Because bow ties are, and always will be.
Having gone to the beach for the weekend, I thought the 6 combined hours of sitting in a car would make for an excellent opportunity to catch up on a couple episodes of Pop Culture Happy Hour (and then be bored for the other four and a half hours in which I did not have another episode).
One of the people on said podcast was talking about how excited he was about Kung-fu Panda 2, and I'd seen on his Twitter feed a few days before that he apparently cried more than once during the movie. I love this for a couple of reasons.
1. This is a grown man who is legitimately excited about Kung-fu Panda, unrelated to the fact that his kids probably also wanted to see it.
2. This is a grown man who is willing to admit that not only did he cry, but that he cried during an animated movie.
I don't particularly care whether you're a person given to crying. Some are, and some aren't, and that's fine. However, it makes me very happy when people (especially guys over the age of 13) admit that they have/do, regardless of how frequently. So yay for Stephen Thompson.
There's this weird cultural thing going on where crying is associated with weakness, and fragility, and irrationality, and a lack of masculinity. Which implies that a) emotions are bad, and b) emotions are not a manly thing to have. Both of which are absolutely ridiculous.
That being said, strong emotions certainly can and do have negative side-effects. They can cloud your judgement, consume your mind, and utterly destroy your ability to empathize.
And that's what I think it is: the temporary loss of empathy. It's not that you're being irrational, strictly speaking. You've just undergone a significant shift in priorities that says "I do not freaking care what's going on in your head. I'm not even going to try to see things from your point of view, because what I'm feeling is far more important."
It's just an evolutionary thing-- emotions are there for a reason, and our reactions to them are there for a reason too. We "irrationally" hate that which causes us pain, and we get "irrationally" upset when something we value is taken away. The hate drives us to get as far away from the pain-causer as possible, and the loss we feel drives us to replace the stolen thing- or steal it back.
Once the strong emotions subside, empathy returns, along with our "rational" mind. (Hold on...there's more to the world than just Me?) The trick is to be able to recognize what's going on, and to keep from acting on it until it's passed.
It's not a weakness to be sad, and it's not wrong to have powerful reactions sweep you off your feet. What is a weakness is to not be able to cope with it in constructive ways. Emotion is probably both the best and worst part of being human. It's perfectly natural, though, and I think that if more people really believed/accepted/understood that, there'd be less hard feelings across the board.
So I apologize for any and all past and future cases in which I have failed to empathize with any of you. I don't condemn myself for it, since I do believe that it (in the type of situation discussed above) is an unavoidable part of life, but all people deserve the respect of being viewed as a fellow person trying to make his or her way in the world.
And because I am a massive nerd, I am now deciding that it shall be my new goal to remember that we all wear the same figurative bow tie, which is cool. Because bow ties are, and always will be.
Monday, January 17, 2011
An Abundance of Quotes Part 7 & Inception
"Normal is not something to strive for; it is something to run away from." - Joe Roach
"Anyone can become angry. This is easy. But to be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose, and in the right way--that is not easy." - Aristotle
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is a habit." - Aristotle
"If gods exist, where do they live?" - Socrates
"Attacking bad books is not only a waste of time but also bad for the character." - W. H. Auden
I just watched Inception, and it was also amazing. We're going to watch it again sometime this coming week.
I saw it for the first time Saturday night. My best friend called me, said she'd watched it the night before and wanted to see it again, thought I would enjoy it, and her family was all going to be gone for various reasons so thought that night would be a good time to watch it. I immediately said "YES."
Throughout the first half, I kept asking lots of questions and making lots of guesses, partially because I wanted to know, partially because I enjoyed coming up with ridiculous theories, and partially because I knew she'd find it entertaining.
And the end. The end was awesome, and sparked so much discussion.
Leave your theories in the comments. I want to read them.
(SPOILER ALERT FROM HERE ON OUT)
Some things we discussed:
"Anyone can become angry. This is easy. But to be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose, and in the right way--that is not easy." - Aristotle
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is a habit." - Aristotle
"If gods exist, where do they live?" - Socrates
"Attacking bad books is not only a waste of time but also bad for the character." - W. H. Auden
I just watched Inception, and it was also amazing. We're going to watch it again sometime this coming week.
I saw it for the first time Saturday night. My best friend called me, said she'd watched it the night before and wanted to see it again, thought I would enjoy it, and her family was all going to be gone for various reasons so thought that night would be a good time to watch it. I immediately said "YES."
Throughout the first half, I kept asking lots of questions and making lots of guesses, partially because I wanted to know, partially because I enjoyed coming up with ridiculous theories, and partially because I knew she'd find it entertaining.
And the end. The end was awesome, and sparked so much discussion.
Leave your theories in the comments. I want to read them.
(SPOILER ALERT FROM HERE ON OUT)
Some things we discussed:
- Is the end intended to be a real life Inception, meaning that it's just there to make us think and wonder?
- Does it mean that it doesn't matter whether it's real or not, because he's happy?
- Was it wobbling?
- Is he still in Limbo?
- Was the entire movie in Limbo, and the real point was to get him out of it?
- Did she really die?
- "They come here to wake up." (the old guy in the basement where the chemist works)
Thursday, December 23, 2010
TiMER
"Follow your own star!" - Dante Alighieri
As you could probably gather from the title, I just finished watching a movie called TiMER.
In that world, you become eligible for your timer at 14. Once your supposed soul mate gets his or hers, your timer begins counting down. Midnight of the day you are supposed to meet him or her, it "zeros out," and then beeps when you make eye contact with that person.
The heroine, Oona, is nearing her thirtieth birthday and still has a blank one, so she's continually bringing boyfriends into the clinic to get theirs. Her step-sister and best friend, Steph, has over 5,000 days left on her timer and couldn't care less about her Mr. Right, flirting with every young guy who comes by the retirement home where she works and then more at her night-job at the local bar. Oona, on the other hand, has difficulties being with anyone with a timer. Then she meets Mikey, grocer by day and drummer by night.
My favorite quote:
(After an old woman has repeatedly addressed her as "Margaret.") Steph: Yeah, Grandma, it's me, Margaret. And you know what? I'm GAY.
(Old woman looks shocked and appalled)
Steph: Yep! Gay! Gay! Gay! And you know what? My girlfriend? She's black.
(Old woman nearly faints)
(boss yells at Steph)
I definitely recommend this movie, unless you have issues with language, in which case, don't watch it. That's the only reason it's rated R, though.
I won't tell you the end, but the story raises the question: If these were available, and you believed that they worked, would you want one? What if you were already married (or if you are married, what if you weren't)?
My initial thought was yes, most definitely. Then I remembered just how incredibly awkward it was when Oona's younger brother, having just received his timer, met his "One."
How does a parent react when their teenager comes home and says "Hey Mom, this is the guy I'm going to marry. I don't know him at all, but our timers went off this morning."
What do you and said guy/girl say to each other, especially if you weren't already friends or at least knew each other (as would be the case with some of the first generation to get their timers)?
Thoughts?
In other news, I received another couple of rejection letters this week. Yaaaay. At least today's addressed me by my name.
As you could probably gather from the title, I just finished watching a movie called TiMER.
In that world, you become eligible for your timer at 14. Once your supposed soul mate gets his or hers, your timer begins counting down. Midnight of the day you are supposed to meet him or her, it "zeros out," and then beeps when you make eye contact with that person.
The heroine, Oona, is nearing her thirtieth birthday and still has a blank one, so she's continually bringing boyfriends into the clinic to get theirs. Her step-sister and best friend, Steph, has over 5,000 days left on her timer and couldn't care less about her Mr. Right, flirting with every young guy who comes by the retirement home where she works and then more at her night-job at the local bar. Oona, on the other hand, has difficulties being with anyone with a timer. Then she meets Mikey, grocer by day and drummer by night.
My favorite quote:
(After an old woman has repeatedly addressed her as "Margaret.") Steph: Yeah, Grandma, it's me, Margaret. And you know what? I'm GAY.
(Old woman looks shocked and appalled)
Steph: Yep! Gay! Gay! Gay! And you know what? My girlfriend? She's black.
(Old woman nearly faints)
(boss yells at Steph)
I definitely recommend this movie, unless you have issues with language, in which case, don't watch it. That's the only reason it's rated R, though.
I won't tell you the end, but the story raises the question: If these were available, and you believed that they worked, would you want one? What if you were already married (or if you are married, what if you weren't)?
My initial thought was yes, most definitely. Then I remembered just how incredibly awkward it was when Oona's younger brother, having just received his timer, met his "One."
How does a parent react when their teenager comes home and says "Hey Mom, this is the guy I'm going to marry. I don't know him at all, but our timers went off this morning."
What do you and said guy/girl say to each other, especially if you weren't already friends or at least knew each other (as would be the case with some of the first generation to get their timers)?
Thoughts?
In other news, I received another couple of rejection letters this week. Yaaaay. At least today's addressed me by my name.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Publishing and The Princess Bride
“When things break, it’s not the actual breaking that prevents the from getting back together again. It’s because a little piece gets lost - the two remaining ends couldn’t fit together even if they wanted to. The whole shape has changed.” - Will Grayson, Will Grayson, not sure which author it was.
http://www.intrepidmedia.com/column.asp?id=4212
I love that movie.
http://www.intrepidmedia.com/column.asp?id=4212
I love that movie.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Look! A Download!
The first of today's quotes goes out to those of you doing NaNoWriMo.
"Go spit in the face of our inevitable obsolescence and finish your @#$%ing novel." - John Green
And yes, he did the censoring himself.
Then there's the humor quote, not to say that the previous one wasn't funny, which is a true story from my computer programming class.
"Friend 1: *burps*
Friend 2: Congratulations: it's a boy."
First off, I would like to say just how much I truly love our writing club meetings.
For those who do not know, last meeting I brought the first chapter of a story in a notebook. Someone else--Hannah-- went home with the notebook to write chapter two. My chapter was a lot of set-up but I didn't have any idea where I was going with it, so there wasn't a lot of detail.
This meeting, when I saw that notebook on the table, I was filled with fear. I've been bringing writing to be critiqued for over a year now, but I've never collaborated with someone other than a silly poem about dolls and action figures since I was five and writing a story via email with my grandpa. Putting something I'd written--that I cared about--out in the open for Hannah to take wherever she wanted...I was scared. I ended up loving what she'd done with it, but that was just chance. I'm sure she would have written whatever it was well, but would I have been okay with the content?
The answer is that it doesn't matter. It's quite literally out of my hands now, and I have a new batch of anxiety stewing about Sarah Gray's upcoming additions. It's like having a child and giving her away for foster care, except I have to watch her grow up and have no control over what her numerous parents do or don't do in terms of her upbringing.
Yes, this story is a girl, I think.
The story I read, which can be found for free download here, is a prose version of "Boxcar Blood" by Alan Lastufka and Luke Conard. I'm very pleased with how it turned out, and even more pleased with the reception it received.
One person said it was "like a John Green romance."
While a comparison of my writing to John Green's would be a huge compliment in my mind regardless, this was especially awesome because that's exactly the style I was going for, and I hadn't mentioned anything of the kind beforehand.
In other news, I've got three tickets to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 for the IMAX on Friday afternoon. I am so excited.
"Go spit in the face of our inevitable obsolescence and finish your @#$%ing novel." - John Green
And yes, he did the censoring himself.
Then there's the humor quote, not to say that the previous one wasn't funny, which is a true story from my computer programming class.
"Friend 1: *burps*
Friend 2: Congratulations: it's a boy."
First off, I would like to say just how much I truly love our writing club meetings.
For those who do not know, last meeting I brought the first chapter of a story in a notebook. Someone else--Hannah-- went home with the notebook to write chapter two. My chapter was a lot of set-up but I didn't have any idea where I was going with it, so there wasn't a lot of detail.
This meeting, when I saw that notebook on the table, I was filled with fear. I've been bringing writing to be critiqued for over a year now, but I've never collaborated with someone other than a silly poem about dolls and action figures since I was five and writing a story via email with my grandpa. Putting something I'd written--that I cared about--out in the open for Hannah to take wherever she wanted...I was scared. I ended up loving what she'd done with it, but that was just chance. I'm sure she would have written whatever it was well, but would I have been okay with the content?
The answer is that it doesn't matter. It's quite literally out of my hands now, and I have a new batch of anxiety stewing about Sarah Gray's upcoming additions. It's like having a child and giving her away for foster care, except I have to watch her grow up and have no control over what her numerous parents do or don't do in terms of her upbringing.
Yes, this story is a girl, I think.
The story I read, which can be found for free download here, is a prose version of "Boxcar Blood" by Alan Lastufka and Luke Conard. I'm very pleased with how it turned out, and even more pleased with the reception it received.
One person said it was "like a John Green romance."
While a comparison of my writing to John Green's would be a huge compliment in my mind regardless, this was especially awesome because that's exactly the style I was going for, and I hadn't mentioned anything of the kind beforehand.
In other news, I've got three tickets to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 for the IMAX on Friday afternoon. I am so excited.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Pleased To Meet You
“The solution is understanding. If you don’t understand the world, then there is nothing you can change besides yourself.” - Hank Green
This is the third time I've written a first draft for this essay. The first time, my premise wasn't specific enough. The second time, I didn't have a clear premise. This time, I have a premise and it's specific, but it's too specific (either that or I'm too concise) so I'm ready to write a conclusion but need another page and a half.
So I was reading something on Neil Gaiman's website about how he believes books have genders, not necessarily determined by that of the main character. I thought it was very interesting. However, I don't know what the gender of The Clockwork Experiment would be and it's much to early to do anything with Ishaera because it needs so much of the literary equivalent of plastic surgery (plus it's still in the metaphorical womb) that no one will recognize it when its done. Ergo, I'm not going to talk about that. I mention it only because it made me think of the thing I am going to talk about.
Last spring, after I took my Creative Writing exam but before I got it back, I was sad that I wasn't going to get it back. I wanted that synopsis, query letter, and first chapter.
I sat down with a piece of paper, thinking that I could just write the chapter again. After all, if I wrote it that way once, wouldn't writing the same thing again produce close to the same thing? I was the same person, with the same brain and the same intent.
It didn't work. Not only did the writing come out drastically differently, but the words simply wouldn't flow, which led me to the conclusion that despite being the same consciousness inhabiting the same body that was sitting here a minute ago, I'm a different person than I used to be, so any writing I do won't turn out the same.
So I don't know any of you, really. I just know people very similar to you.
On an entirely unrelated note, I watched Stardust Wednesday night, and I loved it. The only parts I thought were stupid were the unicorn and the fact that he became king. Of course, I saw that last one coming from the moment it was announced that the king was dying, but it bothered me anyway. I have a theory the act of becoming king makes awesome characters become decidedly less so. Take Aragorn, for example. (Movie Aragorn, anyway. Just assume I always mean Movie Lord of the Rings Thing). He morphed from "Awesome Ranger Guy" to "Boring King."
Captain Shakespeare...he was so cool.
I definitely intend to get the book out of the library as soon as I've read the one about West African Spirituality I have out now. No time for more than one book at once, at the moment.
This is the third time I've written a first draft for this essay. The first time, my premise wasn't specific enough. The second time, I didn't have a clear premise. This time, I have a premise and it's specific, but it's too specific (either that or I'm too concise) so I'm ready to write a conclusion but need another page and a half.
So I was reading something on Neil Gaiman's website about how he believes books have genders, not necessarily determined by that of the main character. I thought it was very interesting. However, I don't know what the gender of The Clockwork Experiment would be and it's much to early to do anything with Ishaera because it needs so much of the literary equivalent of plastic surgery (plus it's still in the metaphorical womb) that no one will recognize it when its done. Ergo, I'm not going to talk about that. I mention it only because it made me think of the thing I am going to talk about.
Last spring, after I took my Creative Writing exam but before I got it back, I was sad that I wasn't going to get it back. I wanted that synopsis, query letter, and first chapter.
I sat down with a piece of paper, thinking that I could just write the chapter again. After all, if I wrote it that way once, wouldn't writing the same thing again produce close to the same thing? I was the same person, with the same brain and the same intent.
It didn't work. Not only did the writing come out drastically differently, but the words simply wouldn't flow, which led me to the conclusion that despite being the same consciousness inhabiting the same body that was sitting here a minute ago, I'm a different person than I used to be, so any writing I do won't turn out the same.
So I don't know any of you, really. I just know people very similar to you.
On an entirely unrelated note, I watched Stardust Wednesday night, and I loved it. The only parts I thought were stupid were the unicorn and the fact that he became king. Of course, I saw that last one coming from the moment it was announced that the king was dying, but it bothered me anyway. I have a theory the act of becoming king makes awesome characters become decidedly less so. Take Aragorn, for example. (Movie Aragorn, anyway. Just assume I always mean Movie Lord of the Rings Thing). He morphed from "Awesome Ranger Guy" to "Boring King."
Captain Shakespeare...he was so cool.
I definitely intend to get the book out of the library as soon as I've read the one about West African Spirituality I have out now. No time for more than one book at once, at the moment.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Movies From Books
I'm watching John Green talk to his computer live. I love how intimate it is. It's not edited or anything. He's just reading questions off his screen from the chat and answering them, and we're sitting at our computers listening to him. We're 800-odd people hanging out together in the same digital room. I usually don't find out about these shows until after they're over. (Oh, he just said he's leaving soon. Ha.)
He talked about how, while the money would be nice, he doesn't really want movies made from his books. Right now, they're popular with us nerdfighters, plus some other people, plus the people those people have told, and it sort of trickles around. With a movie, it suddenly becomes the over-merchandised thing with an entire table to itself at B&N. The experience of reading the book becomes less personal, and because visual stimulus is so powerful, the memory of the movie completely takes over how the book would otherwise be perceived.
I never thought about it like that before. It makes me want there to never be a movie based on a book ever again. The Harry Potter movies definitely took something of the books away from me. I've lost my original images of all of the characters except for those never or rarely seen.
(Insert segue that I can't actually use or else it would give away something I'm about to say before I say it.)
In English today I had to take a state-mandated Practice Writing Assessment for the Real One we have to take in March. It was a "Definition Essay," (which I'll explain in a moment), and the topic was "the meaning of overcoming adversity to teenagers."
In a Definition Essay, they give you a topic and some quotes to use. You're supposed to start out with a quote, state your definition of the topic, give a historical example that backs it up, a literary example, and a personal example, and then conclude, or pick historical or literary, a personal, and then a counter arguments paragraph.
I did the latter format, and I wrote about things I love: Harry Potter and NaNoWriMo.
Somehow I always manage to work one of those in, or a John Green quote. I probably could have found one for this had I Internet access at the time.
I really hope I didn't have to define adversity, because what I actually defined was what the surmounting of it means to teens.
He talked about how, while the money would be nice, he doesn't really want movies made from his books. Right now, they're popular with us nerdfighters, plus some other people, plus the people those people have told, and it sort of trickles around. With a movie, it suddenly becomes the over-merchandised thing with an entire table to itself at B&N. The experience of reading the book becomes less personal, and because visual stimulus is so powerful, the memory of the movie completely takes over how the book would otherwise be perceived.
I never thought about it like that before. It makes me want there to never be a movie based on a book ever again. The Harry Potter movies definitely took something of the books away from me. I've lost my original images of all of the characters except for those never or rarely seen.
(Insert segue that I can't actually use or else it would give away something I'm about to say before I say it.)
In English today I had to take a state-mandated Practice Writing Assessment for the Real One we have to take in March. It was a "Definition Essay," (which I'll explain in a moment), and the topic was "the meaning of overcoming adversity to teenagers."
In a Definition Essay, they give you a topic and some quotes to use. You're supposed to start out with a quote, state your definition of the topic, give a historical example that backs it up, a literary example, and a personal example, and then conclude, or pick historical or literary, a personal, and then a counter arguments paragraph.
I did the latter format, and I wrote about things I love: Harry Potter and NaNoWriMo.
Somehow I always manage to work one of those in, or a John Green quote. I probably could have found one for this had I Internet access at the time.
I really hope I didn't have to define adversity, because what I actually defined was what the surmounting of it means to teens.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Stuff That Occurs To Me While In The Elementary School
The more you read, the more you know. The more you know, the smarter you grow. The smarter you grow, the stronger your voice when speaking your mind or making your choice." - A poster I'm looking at here in the library.
I like this quote a lot. It's basically what I tell people when they ask me how I know stuff. "I read a lot," as the Doctor put it.
I've decided not to make another blog. At least not yet. Sure, I'm trying to get a headstart on my writing career. And that's all well and good. I try not to blog about stupid things (try), and if I do, I try to do them in a civilized way.
But the important thing is this: I'm in high school. I don't need to worry about being professional until I depend on it. Right now, I depend on my parents' professionalism. So at the moment, it's not too big of a deal, except for my own self-image, I guess.
Last night we watched the Percy Jackson movie (very minor spoilers to follow). I would give it 3.5 stars (out of five, of course). It was a solid 3 up until the Percy/Luke battle, which bumped it up due to awesomeness.
And I loved the flying shoes (that wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that I have a pair just like them except minus the wings, would it?). Luke pulled the box off the shelf and my first thought was "Hey, that looks like a Converse box." and then it was a Converse box. I guess it does mention high-tops in the book, but I never made the connection.
They changed the plot, obviously, and I thought the storytelling was kind of rushed at the beginning, but I enjoyed it. Medusa's head with sunglasses made me laugh.
While I was going through class lists to find out how much stuff to put in each teacher's bin, I happened to look at the data (because I like stats and stuff). Next to each student's name was either "Hispanic" or "Not Hispanic." No mention of the student's race if "Not Hispanic." Why does this matter???
In one of the classrooms I was working in yesterday, there is a chart explaining the grading system they use here:
Intelligence is the ability to recognize and apply patterns.
Case point: I arrived at that conclusion by recognizing and applying patterns. A fact which I find funny.
Also, that grading system is a bit vague. With percentages and corresponding letter grades, you're graded via a definitive measurement. With this system, the teacher just gives you a number. So the standards to achieve a 3 vs. 3*, or a 3* vs. a 4 probably vary from class to class, and from teacher to teacher. The only time these numbers are based on percentages that I am aware of is on the EOGs. The rest of the time, a student might be getting a 4 in one subject in their class but they would be getting a 3* in someone else's class. It's subjective and unfair, I think, even though I'm sure the teacher's try their best to be in-sync with each other and to grade on a rough scale.
I like this quote a lot. It's basically what I tell people when they ask me how I know stuff. "I read a lot," as the Doctor put it.
I've decided not to make another blog. At least not yet. Sure, I'm trying to get a headstart on my writing career. And that's all well and good. I try not to blog about stupid things (try), and if I do, I try to do them in a civilized way.
But the important thing is this: I'm in high school. I don't need to worry about being professional until I depend on it. Right now, I depend on my parents' professionalism. So at the moment, it's not too big of a deal, except for my own self-image, I guess.
Last night we watched the Percy Jackson movie (very minor spoilers to follow). I would give it 3.5 stars (out of five, of course). It was a solid 3 up until the Percy/Luke battle, which bumped it up due to awesomeness.
And I loved the flying shoes (that wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that I have a pair just like them except minus the wings, would it?). Luke pulled the box off the shelf and my first thought was "Hey, that looks like a Converse box." and then it was a Converse box. I guess it does mention high-tops in the book, but I never made the connection.
They changed the plot, obviously, and I thought the storytelling was kind of rushed at the beginning, but I enjoyed it. Medusa's head with sunglasses made me laugh.
While I was going through class lists to find out how much stuff to put in each teacher's bin, I happened to look at the data (because I like stats and stuff). Next to each student's name was either "Hispanic" or "Not Hispanic." No mention of the student's race if "Not Hispanic." Why does this matter???
In one of the classrooms I was working in yesterday, there is a chart explaining the grading system they use here:
- 1 = I don't get it. I need help. (Failing grade)
- 2 = I almost get it. I need help. (Failing grade)
- 3 = I get it.
- 3* = I get it and can use it well.
- 4 = I get it and can use it to figure out other things.
Intelligence is the ability to recognize and apply patterns.
Case point: I arrived at that conclusion by recognizing and applying patterns. A fact which I find funny.
Also, that grading system is a bit vague. With percentages and corresponding letter grades, you're graded via a definitive measurement. With this system, the teacher just gives you a number. So the standards to achieve a 3 vs. 3*, or a 3* vs. a 4 probably vary from class to class, and from teacher to teacher. The only time these numbers are based on percentages that I am aware of is on the EOGs. The rest of the time, a student might be getting a 4 in one subject in their class but they would be getting a 3* in someone else's class. It's subjective and unfair, I think, even though I'm sure the teacher's try their best to be in-sync with each other and to grade on a rough scale.
Monday, June 21, 2010
MY Store is WAY Better Than YOUR Store: A Short
DANG IT THE LAST HALF OF HER VISIT TO KRISPY KREME ISN'T THERE!!!!
Okay, so here's what happens:
Me: It was BMI.
Sarah: I want a job.
Me: How old are you?
Sarah: Eleven
Me: And how did you get here?
Sarah: I drove!
Me: No job. Unless you want to buy a donut, leave.
Sarah: Umm. Okay.
This one, in my opinion, is the best one yet. Tell me if you agree.
Blooper video (and YES there ARE bloopers- it's not just commentary) to come soon.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Four More Reviews
I've watched a lot of new movies in the past two days, so I think I'll review them for you.
Earlier today, my family and I went to see How To Train Your Dragon. A review on http://www.shurtugal.com (the Eragon fansite that I have in my Google Reader) said it was the "movie Eragon should have been," which I agree with. This movie was great. I highly recommend it. I laughed not almost constantly, but almost almost constantly, for the first few minutes of the movie. The rest was also funny.
When we got home, I checked my iPod to see the time in London (it was almost 10 pm), decided that Doctor Who might be on YouTube by then (it was) and then we watched that.
Looking back, I think I enjoyed "The Eleventh Hour" more than this one, even though I want to give this one a better review.
I very much like the idea of "Protest," "Forget," and "Abdicate" buttons. The space whale is cool, even though it is completely impossible for such a thing to evolve. Since when has sci-fi ever been realistic?
At first, I thought the woman who turned out to be the queen was River Song, and then my dad speculated that she might have been one of Martha's descendants...but of course, she wasn't.
I was a bit surprised when the Doctor wanted to take Amy home. She was just acting out of care for him.
And Winston Churchill's my eighth cousin 5 times removed. My cousin knows the Doctor! :D
Last night, we watched Bedazzled (witht Brendan Frazer). The plot was really predictable, but I enjoyed the twists put on each of his wishes. It was also very funny. In all: not the greatest movie, but not un-worth watching. It was fun watching him act so many different roles in the same movie.
After finishing that movie, we debated Spiderman, and X-Men, but then ended up popping in Monty Python's The Meaning of Life, which was hilarious, albeit very awkward to watch with others. Fortunately, my mom had gone to bed already. :) Watching movies/TV shows with excessive amounts of vomit seems to be something I've done much more than usual recently (Doctor Who, this, and the only episode of South Park I've ever watched: The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs, which makes fun of writing and censorship).
I'm almost finished typing The Other Oz, and I'll probably edit Clockwork for you tomorrow morning.
Earlier today, my family and I went to see How To Train Your Dragon. A review on http://www.shurtugal.com (the Eragon fansite that I have in my Google Reader) said it was the "movie Eragon should have been," which I agree with. This movie was great. I highly recommend it. I laughed not almost constantly, but almost almost constantly, for the first few minutes of the movie. The rest was also funny.
When we got home, I checked my iPod to see the time in London (it was almost 10 pm), decided that Doctor Who might be on YouTube by then (it was) and then we watched that.
Looking back, I think I enjoyed "The Eleventh Hour" more than this one, even though I want to give this one a better review.
I very much like the idea of "Protest," "Forget," and "Abdicate" buttons. The space whale is cool, even though it is completely impossible for such a thing to evolve. Since when has sci-fi ever been realistic?
At first, I thought the woman who turned out to be the queen was River Song, and then my dad speculated that she might have been one of Martha's descendants...but of course, she wasn't.
I was a bit surprised when the Doctor wanted to take Amy home. She was just acting out of care for him.
And Winston Churchill's my eighth cousin 5 times removed. My cousin knows the Doctor! :D
Last night, we watched Bedazzled (witht Brendan Frazer). The plot was really predictable, but I enjoyed the twists put on each of his wishes. It was also very funny. In all: not the greatest movie, but not un-worth watching. It was fun watching him act so many different roles in the same movie.
After finishing that movie, we debated Spiderman, and X-Men, but then ended up popping in Monty Python's The Meaning of Life, which was hilarious, albeit very awkward to watch with others. Fortunately, my mom had gone to bed already. :) Watching movies/TV shows with excessive amounts of vomit seems to be something I've done much more than usual recently (Doctor Who, this, and the only episode of South Park I've ever watched: The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs, which makes fun of writing and censorship).
I'm almost finished typing The Other Oz, and I'll probably edit Clockwork for you tomorrow morning.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Lord of the Rings
For the purposes of this post, let's pretend it is 1:00, instead of 11:00. Okay? Put yourself in that mindset.
For the past 24 hours, I have been immersed in 3 things: a Lord of the Rings movie marathon, pizza, and sleeping. We made it through Fellowship and Towers yesterday, and are now watching the Battle of Pelennor Fields. They're about to bring out Grond, the battering ram.
There is only one book I believe has a better movie, and this is it. I watch these movies around once every six months, often in July on my way up to NY to visit my grandparents. Watching them this time around is making me want to reread the books, since I haven't done that since 7th grade, and now that I'm older I might appreciate them more. I also want to give the Simarillion another go, as I've started it twice and failed to complete it both times.
Since we're so familiar with the movies, we tend to also make fun of them while we watch (yes, we love them dearly, but they're fun to laugh at as well). This time through the jokes have mainly been about Pointy Hats (of Gondor) and Beer.
In Creative Writing, our teacher was talking about Frodo, and what makes him so memorable (the fact that he is a hobbit being the most prominent).
**watches more of the movie** Oh, Shelob is quite scary, isn't she?
I'm quite looking forward to the movie of The Hobbit. I love the cartoon version (I usually watch it when I'm sick), but this will hopefully be better. Peter Jackson is directing, Ian McKellan is coming back as Gandalf, and I'm not sure if much other casting has been done. There's a rumor that David Tennant might be Bilbo...that's a strange thought, isn't it? After all the emphasis on Doctor Who about how skinny he is...a fat hobbit? That would be so weird. It'd be cool, but so odd.
It is our (my sisters and mine) general consensus that Aragorn gets progressively less awesome as the movie progresses. He was best at the beginning in Bree when he was just this random cool Ranger guy, but then at the end he becomes King of Gondor and is just sort of boring.
Fun facts: The guy who plays Bilbo in Lord of the Rings also did the voice of Frodo in the 1980s radio show that my dad listened to when he was in high school.
There was a minister in the New Zealand government appointed specifically for making as much money as possible off of the filming of the movies.
A loom fell on top of Sean Astin (Sam) while they were eating lunch on the Rivendell set. The other hobbit actors spent the next several days pointing behind him and shouting "LOOM!"
Contrary to the belief that the nine Fellowship actors all have identical tattoos, John Rhys-Davies (Gimli) did not get one.
Viggo Morgenstern (Aragorn) read the book while on the airplane flying to New Zealand. It was his son that convinced him to take the job.
The cast played cops and robbers in the woods near where they were staying sometimes.
A lot of video games were played in certain hotel rooms of certain hobbit actors.
At the part where Aragorn kicks the orc helmet and then screams, he had really broken two of his toes.
The Rohan flag that comes undone was an accident.
Orlando Bloom (Legolas) was still in acting school when he was hired.
Elijah Wood (Frodo) applyed by means of going into a forest near his home, dressing up as a hobbit, and shooting some footage of himself.
Orlando Bloom originally auditioned for Faramir. (my sister says "I think he's better as Will Turner")
The orcs in the Battle of Helms Deep, in the shots when there was loads of them, were played by the entire New Zealand army.
The plants in Hobbiton were planted two years before filming actually started so as to make them look authentic.
It is rumored (but never actually admitted by Tolkein while he was alive) that Eowyn is based on the Anglo-Saxon princess Aethelflaed.
There's really no point in this post, other than sharing my random bits of trivia with you. I did write about 2,000 words of Clockwork on Monday, but not much more writing has been going on other than finishing the 50 characters.
**watches more of the movie** OH NO DENETHOR'S BURNING FARAMIR ALIVE!!!
And now I must go to watch the Rohirrim kick some orc butt. Goodbye for now, my friends.
Oh, and the image in this blog's header is from The Fellowship of the Ring, somewhere near the scene on Carhadras.
For the past 24 hours, I have been immersed in 3 things: a Lord of the Rings movie marathon, pizza, and sleeping. We made it through Fellowship and Towers yesterday, and are now watching the Battle of Pelennor Fields. They're about to bring out Grond, the battering ram.
There is only one book I believe has a better movie, and this is it. I watch these movies around once every six months, often in July on my way up to NY to visit my grandparents. Watching them this time around is making me want to reread the books, since I haven't done that since 7th grade, and now that I'm older I might appreciate them more. I also want to give the Simarillion another go, as I've started it twice and failed to complete it both times.
Since we're so familiar with the movies, we tend to also make fun of them while we watch (yes, we love them dearly, but they're fun to laugh at as well). This time through the jokes have mainly been about Pointy Hats (of Gondor) and Beer.
In Creative Writing, our teacher was talking about Frodo, and what makes him so memorable (the fact that he is a hobbit being the most prominent).
**watches more of the movie** Oh, Shelob is quite scary, isn't she?
I'm quite looking forward to the movie of The Hobbit. I love the cartoon version (I usually watch it when I'm sick), but this will hopefully be better. Peter Jackson is directing, Ian McKellan is coming back as Gandalf, and I'm not sure if much other casting has been done. There's a rumor that David Tennant might be Bilbo...that's a strange thought, isn't it? After all the emphasis on Doctor Who about how skinny he is...a fat hobbit? That would be so weird. It'd be cool, but so odd.
It is our (my sisters and mine) general consensus that Aragorn gets progressively less awesome as the movie progresses. He was best at the beginning in Bree when he was just this random cool Ranger guy, but then at the end he becomes King of Gondor and is just sort of boring.
Fun facts: The guy who plays Bilbo in Lord of the Rings also did the voice of Frodo in the 1980s radio show that my dad listened to when he was in high school.
There was a minister in the New Zealand government appointed specifically for making as much money as possible off of the filming of the movies.
A loom fell on top of Sean Astin (Sam) while they were eating lunch on the Rivendell set. The other hobbit actors spent the next several days pointing behind him and shouting "LOOM!"
Contrary to the belief that the nine Fellowship actors all have identical tattoos, John Rhys-Davies (Gimli) did not get one.
Viggo Morgenstern (Aragorn) read the book while on the airplane flying to New Zealand. It was his son that convinced him to take the job.
The cast played cops and robbers in the woods near where they were staying sometimes.
A lot of video games were played in certain hotel rooms of certain hobbit actors.
At the part where Aragorn kicks the orc helmet and then screams, he had really broken two of his toes.
The Rohan flag that comes undone was an accident.
Orlando Bloom (Legolas) was still in acting school when he was hired.
Elijah Wood (Frodo) applyed by means of going into a forest near his home, dressing up as a hobbit, and shooting some footage of himself.
Orlando Bloom originally auditioned for Faramir. (my sister says "I think he's better as Will Turner")
The orcs in the Battle of Helms Deep, in the shots when there was loads of them, were played by the entire New Zealand army.
The plants in Hobbiton were planted two years before filming actually started so as to make them look authentic.
It is rumored (but never actually admitted by Tolkein while he was alive) that Eowyn is based on the Anglo-Saxon princess Aethelflaed.
There's really no point in this post, other than sharing my random bits of trivia with you. I did write about 2,000 words of Clockwork on Monday, but not much more writing has been going on other than finishing the 50 characters.
**watches more of the movie** OH NO DENETHOR'S BURNING FARAMIR ALIVE!!!
And now I must go to watch the Rohirrim kick some orc butt. Goodbye for now, my friends.
Oh, and the image in this blog's header is from The Fellowship of the Ring, somewhere near the scene on Carhadras.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Rise of the Cybermen
I know in reading that headline all of you either said "huh?" or put on your skeptic hat (or both). Bear with me.
For those of you who don't know what a cyberman is, a quick explanation:
A cyberman is a machine (usually robot) with a human brain and/or consciousness inside. I encountered the concept via a TV show known as Doctor Who. I've been watching it obsessively lately for two reasons:
The cybermen are coming.
The subtitle of the article reads "According to Ray Kurzweil, the Singularity is a point at which man will become one with machine and then live eternally- which makes Singularity University, a nine-week academic retreat named for the concept, sound a little cultish. Our writer traveled west to investigate and found 40 stunningly sane braniacs out to change the world."
The writer "expected to encounter a bunch of sci-fi nerds who couldn't wait to plug into the Matrix" but instead found a group of graduate students scientifically working with "far out" concepts to try to make the world a better place. The "university" isn't actually much of a school- it's an "intellectual retreat". There are no tests and no papers. Collaborative projects, thinking, and presentations dominate.
The University isn't even centered around achieving Singularity, although it is one of the things they play with. That's just the school's chancellor (Kurzweil). He estimates that by 2029 we will achieve AIs (Artificial Intelligences) equal to humans and by 2045, we "should be able to upload our consciousness into machines, providing eternal life."
Remind anyone of John Lumic?
Of course, what Kurzweil is talking about will (hopefully) be radically different from the episode. He's already on a "strict...health regimen designed to prolong life (minimal calories, healthy foods, no booze, many [over 150] supplements)", and has made arrangements to be cyrogenically frozen in the event that the technology is not ready within his lifetime (he's currently 61). He appears to have none of Lumic's qualms about becoming a human mind in a metal body.
I'm writing about this not to say "WE MUST STOP THIS" and not to heavily endorse it. I think we definitely need to be careful in this field and that there are pros and cons to Singularity. I think people should be made aware that this concept is not as sci-fi as they think it is. I think we should all come to our own conclusions. I think we should be wary, but open-minded. It doesn't seem like the Doctor will be around to save us if we mess up (although that would be beyond awesome), so let's think it through, and be careful.
I know it sounds like I'm paranoid of being attacked by robots. I know it sounds like I'm against this technology. It scares me, yeah, but I'm open to the concept of using it. If I see people making the change and still retaining their humanity, and nothing weird or horrible happens (observation for a few years) then I'll be in the car on my way to the integration facility. I don't want to sound like I'm dissuading the project from continuing.
My point: Yes, sci-fi is fiction, but we can still learn from it. So let's be VERY CAREFUL. Who says these AIs won't try to take over the world and obliterate humanity from the face of the earth?
A question for Kurzweil: are you talking computers with consciousnesses floating around in cyberspace, cybernetic organisms like the Termiantor (minus the guns and stuff), or brains in metal suits?
Forgive my Doctor Who fanship and slight paranoia. Like in Galaxy Quest when Nesbit tells Branden "[everything on the show] is all real" and he exclaims "I KNEW IT", perhaps I never quite accepted that some stuff is entirely fake. Most children are like that, right?
For those of you who don't know what a cyberman is, a quick explanation:
A cyberman is a machine (usually robot) with a human brain and/or consciousness inside. I encountered the concept via a TV show known as Doctor Who. I've been watching it obsessively lately for two reasons:
- David Tennant (the 10th regeneration of The Doctor)'s finale has come. Part 1 last Saturday, and Part 2 this coming Saturday. Naturally, I've rediscovered how freaking awesome it all is and am rewatching lots of old episodes. For instance, we watched the finale to Season 3 this morning. I've seen the End of Time Part 1 twice and listened to BBC's commentary podcast episode on it twice. Stop laughing at me.
- My friends are visiting from Indiana, and they like Doctor Who but haven't seen all of the New Who episodes. We always watch at least a few whenever they come.
The cybermen are coming.
The subtitle of the article reads "According to Ray Kurzweil, the Singularity is a point at which man will become one with machine and then live eternally- which makes Singularity University, a nine-week academic retreat named for the concept, sound a little cultish. Our writer traveled west to investigate and found 40 stunningly sane braniacs out to change the world."
The writer "expected to encounter a bunch of sci-fi nerds who couldn't wait to plug into the Matrix" but instead found a group of graduate students scientifically working with "far out" concepts to try to make the world a better place. The "university" isn't actually much of a school- it's an "intellectual retreat". There are no tests and no papers. Collaborative projects, thinking, and presentations dominate.
The University isn't even centered around achieving Singularity, although it is one of the things they play with. That's just the school's chancellor (Kurzweil). He estimates that by 2029 we will achieve AIs (Artificial Intelligences) equal to humans and by 2045, we "should be able to upload our consciousness into machines, providing eternal life."
Remind anyone of John Lumic?
Of course, what Kurzweil is talking about will (hopefully) be radically different from the episode. He's already on a "strict...health regimen designed to prolong life (minimal calories, healthy foods, no booze, many [over 150] supplements)", and has made arrangements to be cyrogenically frozen in the event that the technology is not ready within his lifetime (he's currently 61). He appears to have none of Lumic's qualms about becoming a human mind in a metal body.
I'm writing about this not to say "WE MUST STOP THIS" and not to heavily endorse it. I think we definitely need to be careful in this field and that there are pros and cons to Singularity. I think people should be made aware that this concept is not as sci-fi as they think it is. I think we should all come to our own conclusions. I think we should be wary, but open-minded. It doesn't seem like the Doctor will be around to save us if we mess up (although that would be beyond awesome), so let's think it through, and be careful.
I know it sounds like I'm paranoid of being attacked by robots. I know it sounds like I'm against this technology. It scares me, yeah, but I'm open to the concept of using it. If I see people making the change and still retaining their humanity, and nothing weird or horrible happens (observation for a few years) then I'll be in the car on my way to the integration facility. I don't want to sound like I'm dissuading the project from continuing.
My point: Yes, sci-fi is fiction, but we can still learn from it. So let's be VERY CAREFUL. Who says these AIs won't try to take over the world and obliterate humanity from the face of the earth?
A question for Kurzweil: are you talking computers with consciousnesses floating around in cyberspace, cybernetic organisms like the Termiantor (minus the guns and stuff), or brains in metal suits?
Forgive my Doctor Who fanship and slight paranoia. Like in Galaxy Quest when Nesbit tells Branden "[everything on the show] is all real" and he exclaims "I KNEW IT", perhaps I never quite accepted that some stuff is entirely fake. Most children are like that, right?
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