Really not that funny, save the first few scenes which are really quite hilarious.

A William Blake painting fuels a killing spree and Dr. Lecter makes his debut. You could choose far worse books to curl up with for some trashy reading time. Surprisingly well written, with decently woven themes inspired by Blake’s “Songs of Innocence and Experience.”

-http://scarlette.stumbleupon.com

Absolutely brilliant.

What really makes this novel a pleasure to read is not, actually, its plotting. Rather, it is the disturbed psychology of its protagonist (the legendary Sam Spade), which is all too often overlooked. Sam is an individual who is fighteningly out of touch with his emotions (much like the protagonist of the French film Le Samourai, who is described by his creator as schizophrenic) and perhaps suffers from flattening of affect or another psychological malady. This ‘blond Satan’ is all the more interesting to read of as a result.

Originally published two decades ago, K. Eric Drexler’s classic, thought-provoking examination of nanotechnology is every bit as relevant today, if not moreso. Presented in its entirety on Drexler’s own website, the book makes a very concrete case for molecular assembler technology’s inevitability, the strength of which is diminished not one bit by the fact that gains in the field have, thus far, been fewer and more far between than some might have guessed upon reading the book in earlier decades.

Far from timid, Drexler’s book wrestles with the difficult moral and philosophical questions which will accompany the emergence of molecular assemblers, outlining a wide array of possible consequences for such technology, not all of them appealing. Nanotechnology could allow us to live as immortals amidst a sea of (almost) limitless resources. It could also lead to the extermination of humankind.

My favourite chapter deals with the ways in which nanotechnology will facilitate the colonisation of space, allowing us to harvest resources from asteroids, sail on sunlight, and build whole continents in orbit.

Er…this film was not historically accurate, actually. There’s no evidence whatsoever for human sacrifice on a mass scale as was depicted in this film. And as for the major project/theme of Gibson’s film…can you get any more ignorant or racist than this?

However, I did appreciate the contrast between the hunter/gatherer lifestyle and that of organized, agricultural society. While it is true that Mayan religion was every bit the powergrab that Western religion has proven to be, it should be remembered that the European invaders were by far the more heinous murderers.

Last week I read Pasquale’s Angel, Paul McAuley’s alternate history of a renaissance Florence in which Leonardo DaVinci poured his genius into engineering instead of art. A nice touch is Florence’s exploration of the New World, where they do not conquer as the Spanish would, but instead establish trade and diplomatic relations with the native population. The characterisation of Niccolo Machiavegli, who in this reality is not exiled from Florence but is instead a sort of journalist/sleuth, is marvelous. Paul McAuley is among the greatest of SF worldbuilders I’ve encountered. This is steam-powered alternate history at its best.

Recent viewing has included Ingmar Bergman’s cheezily named but nevertheless strong Cries & Whispers. It’s my least favourite Bergman film thus far, but nevertheless ranks highly among other Criterion films. Bits will probably float to the surface in my nightmares for some time, although I’m not sure if the surreal corpse dream sequence (which intentionally throws all POV considerations to the wind) or a certain character’s hungry and erotic clitoral self-mutilations will feature more heavily. Both disturbed me greatly on first viewing.

I almost had to gnaw off one of my own limbs to survive this moviegoing experience. The entire film was laced with the worst kind of stale cheeze and yet is embraced with an enthusiasm that utterly beggars belief. It’s meant to be a fairy tale, I realize, but it just doesn’t succeed on any filmic or literary level as far a I’m concerned. Far too confident – Shymalan’s worst outing by far.

My heart really does go out to the octagenarians that were the subjects of this documentary, but the film itself is absolutely useless, the politics are weak and all but nonexistent, and overall this really has no direction or focus whatsoever.