I’ve pondered this before, but in this month’s The Atlantic is a great article entitled “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” that is well worth the read. The topic, of course, is the Internet’s gradual erosion of our ability to concentrate. I’ve heard Jeff Bezos of Amazon.com refer to it as “information snacking.”

I find myself agreeing with a lot written in the article, but I can find comfort that I’m apparently not the only one who is experiencing this phenomenon. Now to find a way to reverse it and still be able to do my job.

-K

Musings and Meanderings - No Comments »

Author: Ian Flemming
Pages: 272
Year Published: 1957

In From Russia With Love, his fifth outing, British Secret Service agent James Bond finds himself the target of a Soviet assassination plot, all the while attempting to courier one of the prized “Spektor” cryptographic machines out of Turkey and back to the United Kingdom.

This fifth novel is a resurgence for Fleming. While elements of the formula still exist, even the structure of the novel diverges wildly from previous installments. Bond doesn’t even appear for the first third of the book, which is used to establish not only the plot, but the motivations and players. It also introduces us to Tatiana Romanova, the “bait” to be used in order to lure Bond along with the cryptographic machine.

What evolves is a much tighter and focused novel than Diamonds Are Forever. As Bond willingly “succumbs” to the bait and allows the trap to unfold, the tension and action begin to escalate. Gone are the multi-page descriptions of meals and scenes in which almost nothing happens. Even minor characters are given some depth, even if they only appear for a scene. Even Bond has become much more complicated than any of his film personae, except for Craig’s portrayal in Casino Royale.

From Russia With Love is a fine book on its own and one of the best Flemming novels I’ve read so far. For any fan of James Bond, it’s highly recommended. As an aside, apparently it was also the only fictional work to appear on a list of “top ten” books that JFK enjoyed. Of course, we all know by now that JFK appreciated quality.

Other participants in the “52 in 52″ meme who reviewed books recently include:

• Jeremy reviews David Gilmour’s The Film Club: A Memoir.
• Jamie reviews Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy.
• Heliologue reviews Brian Jacques’ Salamandastron.

-K

Books, Reviews - 3 Comments »

Work has been interrupting the fun here, but just to show you I still care, here’s a piece of animation that should blow you away.

Some people have far too much time on their hands.

-K

Musings and Meanderings - No Comments »

I saw this over the weekend and was simply blown away. Iron Man is the best movie adaptation of a comic book character since Batman Begins and one of the best, period.

The story of industrialist Tony Stark (played to the hilt by Robert Downey Jr.) as he invents the “Iron Man” armor as a way of escaping terrorist agents of the Mandarin (updated from 1960s North Vietnamese communists) is smart, funny and bold. Downey’s performance is a showpiece and from the opening moments as he banters with G.I.s in a Humvee convoy, he never fails to impress. Gwyneth Paltrow (as his assistant Pepper Potts), Jeff Bridges (as Obadiah Stane) and Terrence Howard (as Stark’s best friend James Rhodes) give good performances themselves and serve to establish the microcosm that is Stark’s world.

The effects are fantastic, with Industrial Light and Magic once again proving they can create the impossible. The armor looks incredible and, most surprisingly, plausible. The attention to detail was astonishing and watching it in action a delight. ILM really outdid themselves here.

The story is a classic origin story, complete with the obligatory bad guy. However, unlike the Fantastic Four, a good balance is struck between exposition and action, which gives the movie a great sense of inertia. Not once did I feel everything slowed to the point where I was hoping something would happen just to get things moving again. The dialogue is dry, sarcastic and Downey does a great job with it.

After having to endure a slew of mediocre comic book movies over the last couple of years, Iron Man was refreshing. Not only is it a great comic book movie, it’s a good movie over all. Director Jon Favreau should be given the green light for the remaining two films in his proposed trilogy yesterday and Downey may have found the role which will be his Captain Jack Sparrow.

-K

Films, Reviews - No Comments »

Author: Stephen R. Donaldson
Pages: 480
Year Published: 1992

Here’s where the story really begins. Forbidden Knowledge takes everything from The Real Story, treats it as prologue and Donaldson really begins to explore the character and personalities of Morn, Nick and Angus.

Along the way, we’re introduced to an alien race called the Amnion, who apparently have humanity completely terrified they will invade and take over. This, of course, doesn’t stop humans from doing business with the Amnion in the black market. Just that in addition to everything else, this alien foe looms like a Sword of Damocles.

We’re also introduced to more characters from the UMCP: Min Donner, Hashi Lebwohl, and Warden Dios. As I mentioned in the review for The Real Story, the saga is supposed to play out using themes from Der Ring des Nibelungen. If you look closely at the three names above, you can get a glimpse of what that really means.

Forbidden Knowledge is a faster paced book than The Real Story. However, it does have its moments where the exposition gets a bit out of control and you’re waiting for something to happen. I’d also say about 80% of the novel takes place on one set. This surprisingly gets really old when you’re imagining characters in locations. Other than that, the book is a good continuation of the Gap Cycle.

-K

Books, Reviews - No Comments »