Random Topics
To often in our social networked world of today, we see the same
sorts of superficial communication, narcissistic posts, or 'cause of the
day' tweets. I have railed in the past about the declining amount of
quality communication in our society anymore. We live in a world of
sound bytes, tag lines and 140 character or less commentary. So, today
instead of bemoaning these trends, I have decided to just throw some
random lists, questions and notes out there and invite some dialogue.
Nothing too profound, nothing altogether inspiring, but at least an
effort to get some ideas or perspectives which might be interesting.
Who knows, it may only be me who bothers to read any further, but why not try something, just to be different? I seriously debated some religious or political topic to really get the juices going, but I wanted to keep things lighter for a change. So alas, I shall throw my proverbial (virtual) hat into the ring with the following random topics and see if anyone jumps in.
Last 3 books you have read, and would you recommend them?
Sacre Blue by Christopher Moore (yes)
Triggers by Robert J. Sawyer (no, hated the ending)
The Fabric of the Cosmos by Brian Greene (only if you love physics)
Sacre Blue is Moore's best effort since Lamb, in my humble opinion. I think Moore is at his best when using historical characters in an unusual way to tell his warped stories. Reading about the great impressionist painters in a most uncharacteristic fashion is a hoot. Moore always keeps the historical details accurate, lending a (false) sense of credibility to his story which makes the book even funnier. I don't want to give anything away. Let's just say Mrs. Walberg (at Leon) would never have described those famed artists in quite this way.
Sawyer is my favorite SciFi author of our time. I simply cherished Flash Forward as an amazing "what if" story with many underlying layers to the story. Calculating God and Rollback were my other two favorites. I still have a few of his trilogy series books to read.
The physics book is simply of the many I have chosen to read to try and keep up with the advances in quantum physics, string theory, the Higgs Boson hunt, and the hunt for the theory of everything. I highly recommend Simon Singh's Big Bang if you are curious about how physics has gotten to where it is today.
Favorite new TV show?
Well, I watch Once Upon A Time with Amanda and I enjoy "our show" together since it is an interesting tale. Several of the "Lost" staff is working on this show, so I know why I like it, and I am glad Amanda and I have something to enjoy together as father and daughter.
But of late, I have really enjoyed Awake on NBC. It is one of the most unique, original ideas for telling a story in a long time. The premise: A guy is in a bad car accident at the very beginning of the series. He loses a family member in the accident. His wife. Only when he goes to sleep and wakes up, in that reality his wife is alive and his son is the one who perished. When he goes to sleep again, he wakes up back with his son and his wife has passed. As the shrink in one "reality" puts it: "You can't tell whether you're awake or asleep at this very moment." Two realities to him, which one is real, or are they both?
Very unlike normal Hollywood. I sure hope it gets renewed, I love the story within a story style.
Movie lines I truly love for their clarity and/or insight. Feel free to add your own.
"A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it. Fifteen hundred years ago everybody knew the Earth was the center of the universe. Five hundred years ago, everybody knew the Earth was flat, and fifteen minutes ago, you knew that humans were alone on this planet. Imagine what you'll know tomorrow." - Agent K (Men In Black)
"People break down into two groups. When they experience something lucky, group number one sees it as more than luck, more than coincidence. They see it as a sign, evidence, that there is someone up there, watching out for them. Group number two sees it as just pure luck. Just a happy turn of chance. I'm sure the people in group number two are looking at those fourteen lights in a very suspicious way. For them, the situation is a fifty-fifty. Could be bad, could be good. But deep down, they feel that whatever happens, they're on their own. And that fills them with fear. Yeah, there are those people. But there's a whole lot of people in group number one. When they see those fourteen lights, they're looking at a miracle. And deep down, they feel that whatever's going to happen, there will be someone there to help them. And that fills them with hope. See what you have to ask yourself is what kind of person are you? Are you the kind that sees signs, that sees miracles? Or do you believe that people just get lucky? Or, look at the question this way: Is it possible that there are no coincidences?" - Graham Hess (Signs)
"Let me ask you something. If someone prays for patience, you think God gives them patience? Or does he give them the opportunity to be patient? If he prayed for courage, does God give him courage, or does he give him opportunities to be courageous? If someone prayed for the family to be closer, do you think God zaps them with warm fuzzy feelings, or does he give them opportunities to love each other?" - God (Evan Almighty)
"There have always been ghosts in the machine. Random segments of code, that have grouped together to form unexpected protocols. Unanticipated, these free radicals engender questions of free will, creativity, and even the nature of what we might call the soul. Why is it that when some robots are left in darkness, they will seek out the light? Why is it that when robots are stored in an empty space, they will group together, rather than stand alone? How do we explain this behavior? Random segments of code? Or is it something more? When does a perceptual schematic become consciousness? When does a difference engine become the search for truth? When does a personality simulation become the bitter mote... of a soul?" - Dr. Alfred Lanning (I, Robot)
"It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to your enemies, but a great deal more to stand up to your friends." - Dumbledore (Harry Potter & The Sorcerer's Stone)
"There's no crying in baseball!" - Jimmy Dugan (A League of Their Own)
"No, try not. Do, or do not. There is no try." - Yoda (Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back)
Who knows, it may only be me who bothers to read any further, but why not try something, just to be different? I seriously debated some religious or political topic to really get the juices going, but I wanted to keep things lighter for a change. So alas, I shall throw my proverbial (virtual) hat into the ring with the following random topics and see if anyone jumps in.
Last 3 books you have read, and would you recommend them?
Sacre Blue by Christopher Moore (yes)
Triggers by Robert J. Sawyer (no, hated the ending)
The Fabric of the Cosmos by Brian Greene (only if you love physics)
Sacre Blue is Moore's best effort since Lamb, in my humble opinion. I think Moore is at his best when using historical characters in an unusual way to tell his warped stories. Reading about the great impressionist painters in a most uncharacteristic fashion is a hoot. Moore always keeps the historical details accurate, lending a (false) sense of credibility to his story which makes the book even funnier. I don't want to give anything away. Let's just say Mrs. Walberg (at Leon) would never have described those famed artists in quite this way.
Sawyer is my favorite SciFi author of our time. I simply cherished Flash Forward as an amazing "what if" story with many underlying layers to the story. Calculating God and Rollback were my other two favorites. I still have a few of his trilogy series books to read.
The physics book is simply of the many I have chosen to read to try and keep up with the advances in quantum physics, string theory, the Higgs Boson hunt, and the hunt for the theory of everything. I highly recommend Simon Singh's Big Bang if you are curious about how physics has gotten to where it is today.
Favorite new TV show?
Well, I watch Once Upon A Time with Amanda and I enjoy "our show" together since it is an interesting tale. Several of the "Lost" staff is working on this show, so I know why I like it, and I am glad Amanda and I have something to enjoy together as father and daughter.
But of late, I have really enjoyed Awake on NBC. It is one of the most unique, original ideas for telling a story in a long time. The premise: A guy is in a bad car accident at the very beginning of the series. He loses a family member in the accident. His wife. Only when he goes to sleep and wakes up, in that reality his wife is alive and his son is the one who perished. When he goes to sleep again, he wakes up back with his son and his wife has passed. As the shrink in one "reality" puts it: "You can't tell whether you're awake or asleep at this very moment." Two realities to him, which one is real, or are they both?
Very unlike normal Hollywood. I sure hope it gets renewed, I love the story within a story style.
Movie lines I truly love for their clarity and/or insight. Feel free to add your own.
"A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it. Fifteen hundred years ago everybody knew the Earth was the center of the universe. Five hundred years ago, everybody knew the Earth was flat, and fifteen minutes ago, you knew that humans were alone on this planet. Imagine what you'll know tomorrow." - Agent K (Men In Black)
"People break down into two groups. When they experience something lucky, group number one sees it as more than luck, more than coincidence. They see it as a sign, evidence, that there is someone up there, watching out for them. Group number two sees it as just pure luck. Just a happy turn of chance. I'm sure the people in group number two are looking at those fourteen lights in a very suspicious way. For them, the situation is a fifty-fifty. Could be bad, could be good. But deep down, they feel that whatever happens, they're on their own. And that fills them with fear. Yeah, there are those people. But there's a whole lot of people in group number one. When they see those fourteen lights, they're looking at a miracle. And deep down, they feel that whatever's going to happen, there will be someone there to help them. And that fills them with hope. See what you have to ask yourself is what kind of person are you? Are you the kind that sees signs, that sees miracles? Or do you believe that people just get lucky? Or, look at the question this way: Is it possible that there are no coincidences?" - Graham Hess (Signs)
"Let me ask you something. If someone prays for patience, you think God gives them patience? Or does he give them the opportunity to be patient? If he prayed for courage, does God give him courage, or does he give him opportunities to be courageous? If someone prayed for the family to be closer, do you think God zaps them with warm fuzzy feelings, or does he give them opportunities to love each other?" - God (Evan Almighty)
"There have always been ghosts in the machine. Random segments of code, that have grouped together to form unexpected protocols. Unanticipated, these free radicals engender questions of free will, creativity, and even the nature of what we might call the soul. Why is it that when some robots are left in darkness, they will seek out the light? Why is it that when robots are stored in an empty space, they will group together, rather than stand alone? How do we explain this behavior? Random segments of code? Or is it something more? When does a perceptual schematic become consciousness? When does a difference engine become the search for truth? When does a personality simulation become the bitter mote... of a soul?" - Dr. Alfred Lanning (I, Robot)
"It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to your enemies, but a great deal more to stand up to your friends." - Dumbledore (Harry Potter & The Sorcerer's Stone)
"There's no crying in baseball!" - Jimmy Dugan (A League of Their Own)
"No, try not. Do, or do not. There is no try." - Yoda (Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back)
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