Monday, May 7, 2012

Catching Up: Random Thoughts and Links

-Saw The Avengers yesterday with the boy and here are some (very) random thoughts about it:

*I loved the Point Break reference.
*I can't believe he died.
*Related to that, is he really dead?
*When Loki finally get his comeuppance (as you know he will so this isn't a spoiler) it is the most crowd pleasing on-screen moment since Slim Charles shot Cheese.
*I remember reading an interview a few years ago where Dennis Lehane talked about how Bubba (the resident Kenzie & Gennaro badass) was becoming a cuddly character. I thought of this interview after watching the movie because The Hulk got all of the pop moments in the film. The crowd cheered out loud for The Hulk, laughed out loud at Hulk moments and erupted at one scene in particular (you know the one). So the Hulk who is a raging, rampaging near unstoppable force is, by far and away, the crowd favorite.

-We all know I have a love hate relationship/fascination with the CSI shows and that I contend that it is a fantasy show rather then a crime show. Here is an interesting piece that Frontline did called The Real CSI which asks the question how reliable is the science behind forensics? It's an interesting watch.

Watch The Real CSI on PBS. See more from FRONTLINE.
-What is the language of power and can this principle be effectivley used in fiction?
by analyzing language you can easily tell who among two people has power in a relationship, and their relative social status. "It's amazingly simple," Pennebaker says, "Listen to the relative use of the word "I." What you find is completely different from what most people would think. The person with the higher status uses the word "I" less.
-I read about these "fashion garments become see-through when the wearer's heart rate increases." and the first thing I thought about was wearable lie detector suits in the future.

-Did you ever find advice in an unlikely place? I was reading this page on Android Design Principles and realized that some of it could be considered writing advice.

"People get overwhelmed when they see too much at once. Break tasks and information into small, digestible chunks. Hide options that aren't essential at the moment, and teach people as they go."
Currently Reading: A Naked Singularity by Sergio De La Pava
Currently Listening:  Shake Your Money Maker by The Black Crowes
 

1 comment:

Paul D Brazill said...

'I was reading this page on Android Design Principles '- As you do ...