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Nothing is sacred |
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Thursday, 28 May 2009 13:10 |
Today I felt a little bit of what the Star Trek fans felt when the new movie was finally revealed, gutting most of what the original series felt like in favor of catering to action-salivating teens. For me, it was the trailer for Sherlock Holmes.
I mean, I can understand a company that owns a once-monumental television show eagerly trying to reinvent it for a new generation. But what we really find is that with post-modernism, nothing is new, the future holds no city on a hill, and everything can be seen though the lens of what today's teens want, not what we hope them to be.
The same is true with this version of Sherlock Holmes. It offers nothing new except a rehash of Holmes in a style that isn't true to the spirit of the original story. Even Holmes owes a lot to Edgar Allan Poe's Murders in the Rue Morgue in which the detective is entrenched in the pursuit of clues through science and deduction. This Holmes seems like an action movie with requisite explosions at the end. I guess you could say the same thing about the movie Van Helsing from a couple of years back. In that movie, gothic horror becomes a theme, not a style or feel.
So, what I'm really wondering is, what does our society still value that we will hold up as sacred and let nothing touch? |
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Still ranting... |
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Monday, 16 February 2009 19:00 |
As I've alluded to in this blog before, you know you're old when you hear about some new groundbreaking idea, and you realize it has been done before.
Basically, the rule is you're old when you can see history.
So what am I ranting about this time? Social media, again. Why is this new? Why does everyone jump when they hear about social media?! This is not new stuff guys!
Let's rewind to the birth of the modern Internet, circa 1996/1997. There were forums back then. Forums used profiles where members could answer questions about themselves.
THE ONLY THING FACEBOOK AND THE WHOLE WEB 2.IDIOTIC MOVEMENT DID IS MARKET A SINGLE FORUM TO A MASS AUDIENCE. People had mini communities before and they still have mini-communities. I just keep running into people who are marketing themselves as social media consultants.
Move on people. Please. Please for God's sake. This is nothing new. |
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A movement is not a movement unless it moves people to do something |
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Monday, 02 February 2009 19:00 |
Ok... I believe in humanity and society to generally do good. I believe that people fall down sometimes and they need help getting up.
So when I heard about "To Write Love On Her Arms" (TWLOHA) I thought "Wow, someone's out there doing some good. That's great!" I think the thing that hit me the most is that it was just a couple of friends stopping and helping another get out of a suicidal depression.
I thought it was great that they started a "movement" about this. Lots of people working together to just help one another. Awesome!
So when I go to their web site, what do I find? Lots of pages about promoting the movement and, apparently, a bunch of bands. There was just one page about where to get help, and that page is a long list of phone numbers and support resources. There's also a lot of cool shirts to buy.
WTF?
I thought this was supposed to be a movement about making people feel empowered to help each other. What do I find? The movement is more important than the mission. So sad. |
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President Barack Obama's Inaugural Address |
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Monday, 19 January 2009 19:00 |
My fellow citizens:
I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.
Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because we the people have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebears, and true to our founding documents. |
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Read more...
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1980-1982, Years That Changed Everything |
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Tuesday, 12 August 2008 00:00 |
A lot of what has formed my interests and tastes in pop culture can be traced back to the formative years of 1980-1982. Even if I didn't see the movies listed below at the time, the tone and style of the movies produced at that time very much entertains me still. Bold movies are some of my all-time favorites for fantasy/sci-fi.
Movies
Airplane! (1980)
Altered States (1980)
Battle Beyond the Stars (1980) (don't ask)
Flash Gordon (1980)
The Fog (1980)
Shining, The (1980)
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Boot, Das (1981)
Caveman (1981)
Clash of the Titans (1981)
Dragonslayer (1981)
Escape from New York (1981)
Excalibur (1981)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Scanners (1981)
Stripes (1981)
Airplane II: The Sequel (1982)
Blade Runner (1982)
Conan the Barbarian (1982)
Creepshow (1982)
Dark Crystal, The (1982)
Firefox (1982)
Megaforce (1982) (again... don't ask, but if you're looking for a cheesy performance by Spin City's Barry Bostwick, look no further!)
The Thing (1982)
TRON (1982)
Secret of NIMH, The (1982)
Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan (1982) (arguably the best Star Trek movie)
Some of my other interests at the time were in roleplaying games (which I didn't play until 1988) and computer games.
Roleplaying Games
1981 (D&D 2nd Revision - Basic, Expert Sets) (first time I read D&D rules)
Computer Games
1981 Castle Wolfenstein by Warner, Muse.
1981 Olympic Decathlon by Smith, Microsoft.
1981 Wizardry by Greenberg & Woodhead, Sir-Tech.
1982 Ultima II by British, Sierra On-Line.
1982 Swashbuckler by Stephenson, DataMost.
1982 Choplifter by Gorlin, Broderbund. |
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