Lincoln Pix

Pictures from the filming of Lincoln.

Scrivener for Windows

I am late to the game here, but I discovered that Scrivener is now in beta release for the Windows platform. I downloaded it today and hope to get the most out of the trial. There is the promise of a 2011 release.

My Dell Inspiron 15R

I recently ordered and I am now enjoying my Dell Inspiron 15R laptop. I had been in the market for  a latop for some time now (my first and only other laptop still has Windows 95 on it — so, let’s say it underperforms for my needs). I made a list of must-haves then looked at different manufacturers and models for the right fit.

I knew a 15-inch screen was a prerequisite as well as 4G RAM and a speedy processor. I had purchased desktops from Dell before and when I had found the 15R came in at the price point I wanted while also matching up with my list, I knew it was right for me.

The screen is gorgeous, the touchpad is capacious and the speed fabulous. I like the feel of the touchpad and that the keyword has a dedicated numeric pad. The island-style keys is new for me, but I took to it in no time.

What I have noticed the absence of when using the15R is heat. The machine runs comfortably cool, even after hours of continuous use. It is also quiet. Battery life is close to 6 hours, I believe, though I have not run it that long.

The machine has HDMI and Bluetooth, though I have not had use for either yet. 

All in all, a great package. I cannot think of what could be added to make it better for the price. I highly recommend it.

Closing in on Pie Perfection

That time of year again. I picked out some fresh, bright red stalks of rhubarb from my garden (local supermarket) and big strawberries then got to work. The result was the best iteration of strawberry-rhubarb pie I have baked to date. Crust was more uniform and the filling was far less runny than prior versions. Taste was delicious — nice crisp, flaky crust and sweet/tart filling. (I had missed the step of adding bits of butter before sealing it over with the top crust, but I didn’t taste any difference).

Strawberry-rhubarb pie

Finished The Road to Serfdom

Just as I’m finishing F.A. Hayek’s The Road to Serfdom, I came across this masterful music video titled, “Fight of the Century: Keynes vs. Hayek Round Two.”

Back to the book, it amazes me that the essays were written during World War II and not today. Passage after passage speaks to current events.  This one for instance, in the chapter, “The Prospects of International Order,” echoes how many in the European Union may regard the debt crisis in Greece, Spain and Portugal:

Who imagines that there exist any common ideals of distributive justice such as will make the Norwegian fisherman consent to forgo the prospect of economic improvement in order to help his Portuguese fellow, or the Dutch worker to pay more for his bicycle to help the Coventry mechanic, or the French peasant to pay more taxes to assist the industrialization of Italy?

In reading Hayek, I found greater appreciation for other books I have read (like Atlas Shrugged – the transformation of 20th Century Motors, specifically) as well as a better understanding of the differences between liberalism and collectivism.

Near Dark

Tonight I had the pleasure of watching Near Dark again. My favorite vampire film. Directed by Kathryn Bigelow, I think the movie stands up very well since its release in 1987.

I wanted to replenish my writing well with great source material such as this one. Like its midwest setting, beautifully shot by cinematographer Adam Greenberg, the film is spare, bleak and beautiful. Part western, part love story, part horror film, the movie is a well-crafted, simple tale depicted by a great cast. 

The writing gets down to he essence of the vampire, paring away extraneous mythology. They’re monsters; vicious killers that you don’t want to hitch a ride with. They don’t attend high school and brood or live like kings in opulence. In fact, the lives of these vampires are hardscrabble as they search each night for fresh blood and a new place to sleep away daylight, ditching stolen cars and wearing the same sweat- and blood-soaked clothes all the while.

Two scenes stand out. One is where the reluctant vampire Caleb, played by Adrian Pasdar (from the too short-lived series Profit and over-lived series Heroes), is in the cab of a semi with Mae (Jenny Wright) the vampire who made him and the human truck driver. Here, as the garrulous driver goes on about his job, Caleb eyes him like dinner but doesn’t have the stomach to kill. Pasdar is great at expressing his character’s struggle to hold onto his humanity while Wright silently urges him give into his new nature.

The other scene is in the bar where Bill Paxton (Aliens, Apollo 13) has one of his best performances. Filled with tension, complexity, humor and sadism, the scene reveals to Caleb the world he has been bitten into. It’s make or break time for him — he must finally feed or be destroyed.

Have you seen it? What did you think?

Finished Lives

Earlier, I had posted my concern about possibly not enjoying Lives: Perception is Reality, by JJ McMoon. Once reading it, such concern was left behind. The novel clips along briskly, full of fist-to-the-gut lines, realistic characters and memorable scenes.

What is a real credit to the writing is the author deftly telling eight separate stories, each from the 1st-person point-of-view, while flipping forward and backward in time within each of those lives, while reeling out a thread that ties them all together by the end.

This thread is the question: What do we make of coincidences in our lives? Are they truly chance encounters or milestones on destiny’s path?

Be aware that the book is full of explicit language, sex and violence, though I don’t see any of it as gratuitous.

Have you read it? What did you think?

Began Lives

I am reading Lives: Perception is Reality with some trepidation. I know the author, JJ McMoon, so I really hope to like it. My understanding is that it’s about people who had gone to high school together and reconnect through the machinations of another.

My Take on the Trailer for Atlas Shrugged Part I

A remarkable coincidence: The day I had completed my reading of Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged, I came across this trailer for the movie version. I hadn’t known that a movie was in the works. In fact, I seem to remember hearing that Atlas Shrugged was unfilmable.

Often when I see a commercial, I try to guess who the intended audience is. Either this movie is intended as a valentine to Atlas Shrugged fans or an introduction of Ayn Rand to the general audience. Let’s see…

For those Who Heart John Galt

When producing something for fans, it is important to get certain details right. A false note will distract the viewer from enjoying the film. From the trailer, it appears the story takes place modern day rather than mid-20th century. Why is this important? Consider that the railroad industry is central to the story in the novel. Since then, with a national highway system and increasingly affordable cars and air travel, passenger railway travel has been surpassed. Rail is still vital to freight, but would a modern society within the film and the viewers of the film relate as well as when the novel was set and read? Also, if we’re going to modernize the setting, why not the industry? Airline, health insurance or technology industries would be timely stand-ins, I’d think.

Further, hiding Atlantis/Galt Gulch would be more difficult and shadowing Ms. Taggert and others much easier with modern technologies. Though I suppose Galt or his allies would rig up counter-measures.

I could not imagine there would be word-for-word fidelity to Galt’s radio address (that would be a film unto itself in terms of length), so there would have to be a lot of editing. A lot. Say down from 2+ hours of the broadcast to 10-15 minutes of screen time.

And for an audience already familiar with the story, there goes the mystery. It becomes all the more important for the director and his cast to make the movie compelling, so wouldn’t breaking the film into at least 2 parts undermine their efforts?

For those who still ask Who is John Galt?

Suppose you had heard of Ayn Rand and her novel, but haven’t been curious enough to read it, would this trailer change your thinking? Would you pre-order tickets for the show? And keep in mind, this is just Part 1.

To me, the trailer feels — I don’t know. I have in mind a mash-up where isolated shots were stitched together to make a whole. I don’t know how else to explain it. It just feels generic — like stock.

There aren’t any recognizable actors, big names. This is fine with me, but for the casual movie-goer such as yourself, likely not. Did I mention it’s at least 2 parts. Tempted now?

When was the last time a straight drama was presented over two movies? Does Godfather count? When is Part 2 to be released? As of this posting, I do not see it listed on IMDB.com. So the filmmakers are asking you to plunk down your money twice with a year-long (hopefully shorter) intermission ? Will you remember the Important Stuff of Part 1 over that time to enjoy Part 2? How likely will the movie’s message retain its impact over such a gap of time?

For this audience, I would think it would have been smarter to keep it to one movie.

But all the above said, I hope it is successful. I think the novel is very relevant today, all the more so in this political season where this nation debates the reach of government and its ability to deliver on its obligations.

What do you think of the trailer? Will you see the movie in April?

Finished Atlas Shrugged

I finally finished Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. I’ll leave this as a stub for a future review.