My mom is visiting right now, so my postings will be sporadic this week.
Archives for March 2003
Media Coverage
Watching the various news stations with dedicated coverage of Iraq I have noticed a few rather annoying trends.
First, who the hell thought that this conflict needed a theme song? I’m aware of the emotional impact of music on the human psyche, but frankly the music is not needed, and the money would be far better spent on additional source of information. We already had to deal with the inane branding of the conflict as if MSNBC’s “Target Iraq” is a far cry from CBS’s “America at War”.
Second, why do the media outlets think I should care about ‘man on the street’ interviews? I really don’t give a damn what some hick thinks about the battles or the political situation. And I’m pretty damn sure that 99.44% of the nation/world doesn’t particularly care about my opinion on the events either. Stop wasting my time with the poorly informed masses and provide me with intelligent information and opinions from the experts. Save the human interest stories for Barbara Walters and her ilk.
Third, Lester Holt, an anchorman for MSNBC smiles way too much considering the news he is reporting. I’m sure he’s psyched at having landed such a great assignment that could lead to a grand career, but he should keep in mind that he is reporting events that are intense and at times downright earth-shaking.
The media should be reporting the facts and providing information that educates their audience. Instead of reporting what Joe Bob and Sally think about the war, the media outlets should provide historical and cultural perspectives of the region. Far too many people aren’t nearly as well informed as they should be. Our nation is already divided on numerous fault lines because people are unaware of basic facts and base their opinions on malformed belief and the opinions of others.
Pattern Recognition
While the world in this novel is drastically different than those in previous Gibson books; the detail and depth of the storyline is as intricate as any before. Pattern Recognition takes place tomorrow as opposed to decades in the future making it all the easier to fall into, yet at times far more alien. As much as I would like to talk about the book, I am unsure where to start as describing one facet inevitably gives away a key secret or twist.
So, instead I shall leave you with the quote on the back of the book, by another one of my favorite author’s – Neil Gaimen.
“Pattern Recognition is William Gibson’s best book since he rewrote all the rules in Neuromancer. Gibson casts a master extrapolator’s eye on our present, and shows it to us as if for the first time.”
Go buy it. Now.
Ender's Game
Ender’s Game is one of the many novels that have remained unread upon a shelf or in a box of books (of which I have far too many) for several years. I’m not sure about you, but I tend to have a stack of books in a ‘to read’ section of my office and all too often the ones in the middle or on the bottom remain there as new books grab my attention. Well, a few weeks back I decided I needed to shift my attention to lighter fare, so I picked up this book, well known to those in the science fiction community. I wish I had done so years ago.
Orson Scott Card’s tale is amazing. Unlike some sci-fi that I have read, he keeps his technology pretty well rooted – eighteen years after its original publishing date, the technology still makes sense. That doesn’t ring true for quite a few other stories. Card’s writing style is easy to follow, providing a very fast read without loss of character development. An ideal balance.
The story is that of Ender Wiggin, a child genius in a world at war with aliens. From an early age he was monitored, much like his elder brother and sister to determine if he was the one destined to become the military leader required to drive back the aliens and secure a future for mankind. Unlike his elder siblings, he was chosen. Taken away to a military academy in orbit around the Earth, Ender joined many other children focused on learning the arts of war through games. We are provided with two views, the first is that of the adult military officers responsible for his training, the other view is made up of the thoughts and experiences of Ender himself: the inner struggles to be good, to fit in and to avoid hurting others, though at times he s forced to do just that out of self-preservation. All the while he plays the games. Training for the unavoidable war with the buggers…
Happy St. Patrick's Day
Raise a pint for me boys. I’ll be raisin’ one for you.
Posting Delay
I know I know, my last post stated that I will be posting more and focusing on new subjects and then I let the site sit for a few days. But, Miss Ella joined our family, and quite frankly a new pup is a great distraction. It may be a few days more before I sit down to write in detail about subjects other than dogs and ye old family. But I will.
Ella is adapting very well; sliding right into our little human-canine family perfectly. She and Maddy have started to play and both are comfortable around the other for the most part. We are very happy and very lucky to have her.
FYI, new photos are up in the gallery for those who would like to see of whom I speak.
Though it is hard to be so far from Austin, Sarah and I are doing well. Especially on these blue-sky days.