Having just watched the Spider-man 3 teaser trailer (I don't know what took me so long!), a thought occured to me:
Spider-man could (and perhaps, should) become the new James Bond. There is more material already existing than one could film in a life-time...a rich tapestry of characters and plots. You could have the main actor do 4 or 5 films in a row before passing the baton onto the next one. Heroes and villains can come and go. Studios can make millions of dollars.
I'm sure they'd love to make sequels as long as they're making money, but what I propse is why not drop the numbering system, and follow Bond's example. Just do "Spider-man: The Sting of Venom" or "Spider-man: Absolute Carnage," etc. etc.
I dunno about the die-hard fans, but I know that geeks like me would love to see the story continue to be fleshed out on the big screen.
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
The Big One
So the Big News, for those who don't already know or haven't figured it out, is that I'm going to be taking the Trans-Siberian railway after leaving England, before coming home. I somehow managed to convince my mom to let me use my student loan to fund this wild adventure. My passport has been sent off to an agency to arrange my visas, and I've already booked my train tickets from Oxford to Moscow. I leave on Sept. 8 and will return approximately six weeks later. I plan on stopping in Russia, Mongolia and China, then taking a boat to Japan for a week. I will return to Hong Kong and fly back home, briefly stopping in Oxford to pick up the rest of my stuff. So in order to commemorate the event I have added a countdown in my sidebar to the right --->
I promise updates as often as possible while I'm on the road/rails.
I promise updates as often as possible while I'm on the road/rails.
Monday, August 28, 2006
Onwards
I just got back from Greenbelt, which was fascinating and deserves its own post to fully unpack, however that's not what I want to address here.
On the way home, riding in the car with Jim, I was thinking about the end of Greenbelt, and the end of the summer and it really struck me for the first time that my time in England is at an end as well. Which then caused me to think back two years ago and to my first impressions of the England and its people. I thought about what a blank canvas I was then with regard to this new culture and how much I have learned and grown in 2 short years. And suddenly a feeling of panic struck me as though I didn't want to leave, because 'this is my home!' And it's true, it does feel like home, however I realized that feeling was less authentic than it seemed. I think closer to the truth is the fact that I am unsure of what is next for me, whereas my current position is known and comfortable. It was more of a gut reaction to change than an actual desire to remain in the UK. Having said that, I certainly will miss this country and the friends I have made here. I think this evening was the first time I began to mourn the eventual and inevitable loss of these people from my life.
On the way home, riding in the car with Jim, I was thinking about the end of Greenbelt, and the end of the summer and it really struck me for the first time that my time in England is at an end as well. Which then caused me to think back two years ago and to my first impressions of the England and its people. I thought about what a blank canvas I was then with regard to this new culture and how much I have learned and grown in 2 short years. And suddenly a feeling of panic struck me as though I didn't want to leave, because 'this is my home!' And it's true, it does feel like home, however I realized that feeling was less authentic than it seemed. I think closer to the truth is the fact that I am unsure of what is next for me, whereas my current position is known and comfortable. It was more of a gut reaction to change than an actual desire to remain in the UK. Having said that, I certainly will miss this country and the friends I have made here. I think this evening was the first time I began to mourn the eventual and inevitable loss of these people from my life.
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
More article titles
While I continue to delay my 'big announcement' (no, I'm not pregnant) here are some more amusing academic journal article titles I've come across since the last batch:
- The Effects of Altitude on Fruit Quality and Compression Load for Cracking of Walnuts
I'm sorry, but is it really necessary to write a whole article on this subject?
-Clinical and pathological findings of acute zinc intoxication in a puppy
Ok, this is probably something fairly horrific, but the thought of an intoxicated puppy made me giggle.
- The Future Won't Look Like the Present (by Stephen Hawking)
Oh really?? No shit Steve...I guess you don't need to come up with creative titles when you're a genius.
- Sphincter of oddi dysfunction: role of sphincterotomy
You didn't wanna see the pictures for this one...TRUST ME!
- Invading Iraq: The Road to Perpetual War
This one isn't so much funny as it is prophetic -- it was published in Dec. 2002...
- One Cow, One Vote?
Call me old-fashioned, but I don't believe that Bovine Democracy is the way forward. Besides, what would that make the opposition party?
- Blackjack in Holland Casino's: basic, optimal and winning strategies
This was another serious article! I read the whole thing, but it was extremely complex with tons of formulas I didn't understand! I guess the rules to Blackjack in the Netherlands are a bit different, and if you learn to count cards, you can get better odds than the house. Really, I was expecting it to say something along the lines of "stand on 17. double down on 11."
Finally, these last two were less titillating (pun intended) than I was hoping for:
- The Breast Journal
No joke, an academic journal published out of the States. Unfortunately all the pictures are just of cells and genetic odds and boring stuff like that.
- Cleavage Formation in Norway: The Contextual Dimension
This one had me really excited because, let's be honest, who doesn't enjoy some Norwegian cleavage?! Then I remembered it was a geological journal. Dammit!
- The Effects of Altitude on Fruit Quality and Compression Load for Cracking of Walnuts
I'm sorry, but is it really necessary to write a whole article on this subject?
-Clinical and pathological findings of acute zinc intoxication in a puppy
Ok, this is probably something fairly horrific, but the thought of an intoxicated puppy made me giggle.
- The Future Won't Look Like the Present (by Stephen Hawking)
Oh really?? No shit Steve...I guess you don't need to come up with creative titles when you're a genius.
- Sphincter of oddi dysfunction: role of sphincterotomy
You didn't wanna see the pictures for this one...TRUST ME!
- Invading Iraq: The Road to Perpetual War
This one isn't so much funny as it is prophetic -- it was published in Dec. 2002...
- One Cow, One Vote?
Call me old-fashioned, but I don't believe that Bovine Democracy is the way forward. Besides, what would that make the opposition party?
- Blackjack in Holland Casino's: basic, optimal and winning strategies
This was another serious article! I read the whole thing, but it was extremely complex with tons of formulas I didn't understand! I guess the rules to Blackjack in the Netherlands are a bit different, and if you learn to count cards, you can get better odds than the house. Really, I was expecting it to say something along the lines of "stand on 17. double down on 11."
Finally, these last two were less titillating (pun intended) than I was hoping for:
- The Breast Journal
No joke, an academic journal published out of the States. Unfortunately all the pictures are just of cells and genetic odds and boring stuff like that.
- Cleavage Formation in Norway: The Contextual Dimension
This one had me really excited because, let's be honest, who doesn't enjoy some Norwegian cleavage?! Then I remembered it was a geological journal. Dammit!
Monday, August 21, 2006
Sunday, August 20, 2006
How Snakes on a Plane Change My Life
Yes, it may sound ridiculous, but I'm fairly certain Snakes on a Plane has changed the course of my future.
How is this even possible, you may ask?
Well, I had always planned to go to grad school, but had been debating in which faculty, what to study, etc. Having gone to see Snakes on a Plane yesterday with Brad and Jim, I realized that I really ought to do something with the theory of media, culture and/or communication.
Without going into it in too much detail, I honestly believe that Snakes on a Plane will go down as a significant film in the history of cinema. Sure, it's not going to win any Oscars or other serious awards, but that's not why it has secured it's place in the history books -- it has far more to do with the context of its release.
It embodies the arrival of 21st century postmodernity to the Hollywood system, and I think, will be remembered as the first film in which the democratization of the Internet really had an effect on a traditionally top-down method of film distribution. This movie is a symbol (and really the first, I believe) of a cultural shift that has been in the making for several years now. I wouldn't be surprised to see more of this, and to a greater degree, in the future. Snakes on a Plane pulls no punches, you know exactly what you're going to get from the title of the film. This honesty found a lot of favour among bloggers who immediately picked up on the absurdity of the concept and began promoting the film months before it's theatrical release. This alone is revolutionary, but even more interesting is the fact that New Line then went back and shot several more days of footage MONTHS after the production had wrapped, in order to accomodate the Internet hype. New Line also relinquished the rights for official merchandise (which is UNHEARD of) opting instead to promote fan-based creations. Anyway, I'll leave it at that, as I could (and probably now will) write essays about the fascinating cultural phenomenon that is Snakes on a Plane. As always, Wikipedia has some good background info if you are interested in reading any more.
How is this even possible, you may ask?
Well, I had always planned to go to grad school, but had been debating in which faculty, what to study, etc. Having gone to see Snakes on a Plane yesterday with Brad and Jim, I realized that I really ought to do something with the theory of media, culture and/or communication.
Without going into it in too much detail, I honestly believe that Snakes on a Plane will go down as a significant film in the history of cinema. Sure, it's not going to win any Oscars or other serious awards, but that's not why it has secured it's place in the history books -- it has far more to do with the context of its release.
It embodies the arrival of 21st century postmodernity to the Hollywood system, and I think, will be remembered as the first film in which the democratization of the Internet really had an effect on a traditionally top-down method of film distribution. This movie is a symbol (and really the first, I believe) of a cultural shift that has been in the making for several years now. I wouldn't be surprised to see more of this, and to a greater degree, in the future. Snakes on a Plane pulls no punches, you know exactly what you're going to get from the title of the film. This honesty found a lot of favour among bloggers who immediately picked up on the absurdity of the concept and began promoting the film months before it's theatrical release. This alone is revolutionary, but even more interesting is the fact that New Line then went back and shot several more days of footage MONTHS after the production had wrapped, in order to accomodate the Internet hype. New Line also relinquished the rights for official merchandise (which is UNHEARD of) opting instead to promote fan-based creations. Anyway, I'll leave it at that, as I could (and probably now will) write essays about the fascinating cultural phenomenon that is Snakes on a Plane. As always, Wikipedia has some good background info if you are interested in reading any more.
Sunday, August 13, 2006
Almost
Ok, I lied - no update yet.
I did, however, find the following on YouTube which is AMAZING. This was on tv ALL THE TIME when I was a kid...it doesn't get much more Canadian than this (dancing beaver included). If you saw me on the street and asked me to sing the whole thing, I could probably do it from memory.
I did, however, find the following on YouTube which is AMAZING. This was on tv ALL THE TIME when I was a kid...it doesn't get much more Canadian than this (dancing beaver included). If you saw me on the street and asked me to sing the whole thing, I could probably do it from memory.
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Coupland at the Movies
Apparently, Douglas Coupland's first film is gonna be based on an original screenplay that he wrote entitled Everything's Gone Green and is debuting at the Toronto Film Festival. According to the CBC it's "a comedy about a 20-something trying to find his place in life." I can hardly wait! Also, in trolling IMDB, I found they're going to do an adaptation of his novel All Families Are Psychotic which I just finished reading 2 days ago during my lunch breaks at work, all the while thinking "this is one of the few Coupland books that would translate well into a film...."
Bad Blogger, Bad!
Yeah, I've been a crap blogger lately. Sorry folks. I promise something more meaty this weekend.
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
More lighter notes....
My job at the moment consists of estimating how much it would cost to digitise back issues of academic journals. This requires me to scan through a random issue of each journal and count things like graphics, tables, text, etc. On an average day, I get through about 15. So, here is a list of 100% real titles of articles I have found during the course of my work:
- Fatal methanol poisoning following home distillation of methylated spirits
In other words, killing yourself with your own moonshine!
- Activities in the Danish Year of the Brain 1997
When is the Danish Year of the Pinky Finger?
- Augmenting Effect of a Nonmutagenic Fraction in Soy Sauce on Mutagenicity of 3-Diazotyramine Produced in the Nitrite-treated Sauce
Umm, you're doing what with soy sauce??
- Fat Grafting: My Technique
Upchucking: My Technique
- Clinical and experimental uses of umbilical cord blood
Upchucking: My Technique: Part Two
- Road-kill on the information highway: repetitive strain injury in
the academy
Tee hee, I just thought this one was clever...
- Molecular analysis of the T-cell receptor ß-chain repertoire in
early rheumatoid arthritis: heterogeneous TCRBV gene usage with
shared amino acid profiles in CDR3 regions of T lymphocytes in
multiple synovial tissue needle biopsies from the same joint
Say what? And that's just the TITLE of the article! Imagine the content!
- Trauma Risks and Prevention Strategies for Snowboarders
Man, who writes about this in an academic journal?? I could already tell you what belongs there! "Don't twist your ankle, avoid running into that tree, etc."
- Ohio APNs: Lead Poisoning Knowledge and Practices
Ok, so that's 'lead' as in element 82, but the first time I read it I thought it was 'lead' as in 'the foremost' in poisoning knowledge and practices!
And finally, my favourite of them all, and the one that made me start this whole list in the first place:
- Management of Anorectal Foreign Bodies: A Cause of Obscure Anal Pain
This was a serious academic article in a surgery journal, complete with x-rays of people who shoved things up their ass that really didn't belong there. It also had tables to indicate methods of extraction (from lots of lube all the way to surgical removal!) as well as how many patients were 'known, practicing homosexuals' - isn't science fun!
- Fatal methanol poisoning following home distillation of methylated spirits
In other words, killing yourself with your own moonshine!
- Activities in the Danish Year of the Brain 1997
When is the Danish Year of the Pinky Finger?
- Augmenting Effect of a Nonmutagenic Fraction in Soy Sauce on Mutagenicity of 3-Diazotyramine Produced in the Nitrite-treated Sauce
Umm, you're doing what with soy sauce??
- Fat Grafting: My Technique
Upchucking: My Technique
- Clinical and experimental uses of umbilical cord blood
Upchucking: My Technique: Part Two
- Road-kill on the information highway: repetitive strain injury in
the academy
Tee hee, I just thought this one was clever...
- Molecular analysis of the T-cell receptor ß-chain repertoire in
early rheumatoid arthritis: heterogeneous TCRBV gene usage with
shared amino acid profiles in CDR3 regions of T lymphocytes in
multiple synovial tissue needle biopsies from the same joint
Say what? And that's just the TITLE of the article! Imagine the content!
- Trauma Risks and Prevention Strategies for Snowboarders
Man, who writes about this in an academic journal?? I could already tell you what belongs there! "Don't twist your ankle, avoid running into that tree, etc."
- Ohio APNs: Lead Poisoning Knowledge and Practices
Ok, so that's 'lead' as in element 82, but the first time I read it I thought it was 'lead' as in 'the foremost' in poisoning knowledge and practices!
And finally, my favourite of them all, and the one that made me start this whole list in the first place:
- Management of Anorectal Foreign Bodies: A Cause of Obscure Anal Pain
This was a serious academic article in a surgery journal, complete with x-rays of people who shoved things up their ass that really didn't belong there. It also had tables to indicate methods of extraction (from lots of lube all the way to surgical removal!) as well as how many patients were 'known, practicing homosexuals' - isn't science fun!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
