Media Gluttony

One of my favorite things about having this place is that I can take something I've been thinking about, something I saw or read recently, and just off-load it onto the site. Once it's set down here, I don't have to think about it actively, until it comes up again. But lately, I've been building a backlog. Lazing around on my ass, but frantically fleeing boredom, I move on to the next thing before I have a moment to compose my thoughts about it. I don't want to write anything unless it looks interesting, but that means I don't write anything, and I get this kind of mental indigestion. So forgive the extended metaphor while I brain-vomit all over this page.

The War of the Worlds is creepy, especially because you never see any politicians or other figures of authority. It's all just about one guy, and it seems like he's all on his own against the invaders (and the rest of humanity). It's pretty scary.

I was originally cynical about Peter Jackson's announcement that he wanted to remake King Kong, but we saw the trailer before War and it was breathtaking.

Mr. and Mrs. Smith is thoroughly silly, but I like that sort of thing. Said one companion, "Poor Jenny Anniston never had a chance." This is true.

I've got my hands on an advance review copy of Rick Moody's (forthcoming?) The Diviners, which seemed slow and self-indulgent for the first sixty pages but suddenly reached critical mass and all of a sudden is quick and funny.

I wouldn't really recommend anyone reading Accelerando, even though it's free. It's about how the world will undergo almost unthinkably radical changes as AI and neural input technologies develop, but the universe is too damn consensual. The main characters all get out of binds by making incredibly clever legal moves, trying to trick and outsmart their enemies. It's dirty, but everyone plays by the rules. Nobody ever just flips the board over and uses force. This becomes tiresome, and doesn't sound very realistic.

I've been re-reading the Calvin and Hobbes tenth anniversay book, whic has all kinds of interesting commentary by Watterson.

And I've been listening to the Willie Nelson compilation Revolutions of Time. i like the first two discs, but the tird one with all the guests doesn't feel right.

Ah, there. I feel better now. Must learn to use drafts, pace self. This would be be valuable skill.