Now playing: Tannahill Weavers - Ferrickside/The Laundry at Drummond Castle
via FoxyTunes
In this whole crazy mess that are the books and movie, I've found some great analysis by others on what makes Twilight so attractive/horrendous.
What is it About Edward? Smart Bitches, Trashy Books provides an insightful look into what makes many ladies go crazy. A choice cut...
"He tames his desire to kill her and eat her, but he still consumes her, which is the point that made me the most uncomfortable, but may also serve as a primary reference as to why Edward is so alluring a character. While Edward and Bella don’t knock boots in Twilight, Edward manages to insert himself figuratively into her life and become the center of every moment of Bella’s life – and she’s all for it. More than one person commented to me privately after reading my review that the manner in which Bella subsumes her identity and becomes absorbed by Edward almost symbiotically made them as readers profoundly uncomfortable, because it echoed abusive relationships they witnessed or experienced. It wasn’t romantic for them, that totalitarian management - it was creepy."
Lord Sin's Loinfire Club: The Loinfire Club doesn't read....Twilight. While a bit high in the snark area, it also calls out a lot of what doesn't work. Case in point...
"Meyer also notes...that 'Edward goes to great lengths so nothing bad happens to Bella, she is cared for so much. A lot of the book's appeal is the thought of being loved to that extent [...] There has been some antagonism from men about Edward. They are jealous because they don't want to try that hard.'
Of course men don't want to try that hard. And no man should. It's creepy. Edward seems to do nothing else but stalk her (and hunt for food). He spends all his sleepless nights sneaking into Bella's room and watching her sleep, seemingly immune to boredom. (Pillywiggin theorises that Bella's a one-woman radio station in her range of sleep-talking, but I doubt that's what Meyer has in mind.) He stalks her, literally following her about and finding out where is by reading the thoughts of those around her. And this is all before they actually get together and declare their love and all that."
Arzim's Compiled Twilight Rebuttals: Very in depth (if not angry) counter-arguments to the fan responses. This person has earned the title "English Major."
"Or, take Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre (1847) and its titular character. Like Elizabeth, Jane is faced with classism, sexism, lack of opportunity, and, like Bella, is faced with dealing with somewhat of a Byronic hero (brooding, dark, secretive, ‘superior’). Like Elizabeth, Jane basically gives a polite and cultured “fuck you!” to her antagonists, and unlike Bella, Jane doesn’t take any crap from Mr. Rochester. In fact, the feminist theme in Jane Eyre is so firm and pervasive that by the end of the book, Jane has completely turned the traditional gender roles on their asses. Together, she and Elizabeth represent two of the strongest female characters in all of literature. Bella? Bella doesn’t even deserve to be on the same bookshelf as them."
That's all for now. More meaty (and personal) analysis of other subjects to come!
Enough, More Later.
- James
Friday, November 14, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Crossing the Pale
Now playing: Tannahill Weavers - Are Ye Sleeping Maggie
via FoxyTunes
Well folks, it's finally happened to me. I saw the code, then I saw the Matrix, and now all I see is the code again. In my wanderings around various DVD sites, I came across the phrase "edge enhancement." The first time I saw it, it didn't mean anything to me, and any usual complaints about DVD transfers having an abundance of it merely caused me to shrug.
One day, however, my curiosity got the better of me, and I took a spin around the 'net to see what I could learn about this strange effect. Luckily for me the first hit on the search engine landed this wonderfully informative explanation. After the copious examples provided, I began to see why edge enhancement wasn't only not what it appeared, but that it actually lowered the resolution on the images it affected. The subtle haloing effect also became more pronounced in my eyes. I could see why edge enhancement, to those who noticed such things, was more a detriment than a help.
And then it happened. I'd seen countless examples, I could recognize the signs on sight, but it wasn't until I bought my standard def copy of Hellboy II yesterday that it finally all came home. I popped the DVD into my laptop, booted up the DVD player, and started the movie. But what's this? The opening titles look kinda odd; there's something strange about this white/yellow text on this black background...nawwww, it couldn't be. But those are some crazy halos around the text, maybe it's just a fluke....::the next scene comes, with more text and more....:: AH MY GAHHHD!
Now, to be fair, the enhancement is only really noticeable around text, but there were a few times when I noticed it elsewhere. The very fact that I now notice it all on my own has made me one of THOSE PEOPLE. You know the ones, who know just a tad much more than others in a certain area, who know how it's all done, and because of their knowledge they focus more on the process that leaks around the edges than the actual product. It's also kinda happened to me with cinematic editing tricks, a condition brought about by exposure to a sheer amount of "making-of" documentaries and subsequent exposure to many, many movies.
This is, I think, my turning point for purchasing High-Def hardware. I've been a little ambivalent up to now about getting an HDTV/Blue-Ray Player/Replacing my standard def collection, mainly from the practical standpoint of the price. I've still be in the rut of "Wait a few more months to pass and see if the price drops..." and then, when a few more months have passed, repeat the mantra. I mean, I've seen high def before, and it's a fantastic thing to behold, but I've never really had a reason up 'till now. Time to start socking money away!
Enough, More Later.
- James
via FoxyTunes
Well folks, it's finally happened to me. I saw the code, then I saw the Matrix, and now all I see is the code again. In my wanderings around various DVD sites, I came across the phrase "edge enhancement." The first time I saw it, it didn't mean anything to me, and any usual complaints about DVD transfers having an abundance of it merely caused me to shrug.
One day, however, my curiosity got the better of me, and I took a spin around the 'net to see what I could learn about this strange effect. Luckily for me the first hit on the search engine landed this wonderfully informative explanation. After the copious examples provided, I began to see why edge enhancement wasn't only not what it appeared, but that it actually lowered the resolution on the images it affected. The subtle haloing effect also became more pronounced in my eyes. I could see why edge enhancement, to those who noticed such things, was more a detriment than a help.
And then it happened. I'd seen countless examples, I could recognize the signs on sight, but it wasn't until I bought my standard def copy of Hellboy II yesterday that it finally all came home. I popped the DVD into my laptop, booted up the DVD player, and started the movie. But what's this? The opening titles look kinda odd; there's something strange about this white/yellow text on this black background...nawwww, it couldn't be. But those are some crazy halos around the text, maybe it's just a fluke....::the next scene comes, with more text and more....:: AH MY GAHHHD!
Now, to be fair, the enhancement is only really noticeable around text, but there were a few times when I noticed it elsewhere. The very fact that I now notice it all on my own has made me one of THOSE PEOPLE. You know the ones, who know just a tad much more than others in a certain area, who know how it's all done, and because of their knowledge they focus more on the process that leaks around the edges than the actual product. It's also kinda happened to me with cinematic editing tricks, a condition brought about by exposure to a sheer amount of "making-of" documentaries and subsequent exposure to many, many movies.
This is, I think, my turning point for purchasing High-Def hardware. I've been a little ambivalent up to now about getting an HDTV/Blue-Ray Player/Replacing my standard def collection, mainly from the practical standpoint of the price. I've still be in the rut of "Wait a few more months to pass and see if the price drops..." and then, when a few more months have passed, repeat the mantra. I mean, I've seen high def before, and it's a fantastic thing to behold, but I've never really had a reason up 'till now. Time to start socking money away!
Enough, More Later.
- James
Monday, November 10, 2008
Back to Work
Currently in Earphones: "The Musketeer" soundtrack by David Arnold
Right, so I've finally gotten (reasonably) over my jet lag enough to post all the pictures on Flickr. I also finally broke down and got a "pro" account, as they were placing limit after limit on the free account I had. "Oh, sorry, you can't have more than three sets of photos...Whoops! Upload limit per month!....Drat, only 200 pics allowed in your photostream...why don't you upgrade?" Since it is pretty cheap, I went for it, and will probably be the happier for it. So, without further ado, the link...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/30553999@N03/sets/72157608817863135/
These'll have to do in place of finishing the travel narrative, it's been long enough that the memories are no longer as fresh, and I've forgotten most of the little details that would spice it up from a kinda okay travelogue to a pretty good travelogue. So! Photos for your perusal.
Finally got off my ass (a little) and applied for work at my old summer haunt, the Oakland Zoo. If I get it, it'll just be for a month, which suits me fine. Dunno how long I'd last doing the same thing I've done for a number of summers. I'm still on the lookout for other work (helloooo, craigslist), and am at least hoping for some different mind-numbing work than other jobs I've had.
Currently navigating the GRE site and (hopefully) signing up for one soon. I figure even if I don't know where or when I'll be attending grad school, I should take it early before all the knowledge I have leaks out of my ears.
Other than that, nothin's really happening. Oh, I gave my talk last thursday, and it went swell. Not really much else to say.
Bleh, I'll be back when more interesting things happen.
Enough, More Later.
- James
Right, so I've finally gotten (reasonably) over my jet lag enough to post all the pictures on Flickr. I also finally broke down and got a "pro" account, as they were placing limit after limit on the free account I had. "Oh, sorry, you can't have more than three sets of photos...Whoops! Upload limit per month!....Drat, only 200 pics allowed in your photostream...why don't you upgrade?" Since it is pretty cheap, I went for it, and will probably be the happier for it. So, without further ado, the link...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/30553999@N03/sets/72157608817863135/
These'll have to do in place of finishing the travel narrative, it's been long enough that the memories are no longer as fresh, and I've forgotten most of the little details that would spice it up from a kinda okay travelogue to a pretty good travelogue. So! Photos for your perusal.
Finally got off my ass (a little) and applied for work at my old summer haunt, the Oakland Zoo. If I get it, it'll just be for a month, which suits me fine. Dunno how long I'd last doing the same thing I've done for a number of summers. I'm still on the lookout for other work (helloooo, craigslist), and am at least hoping for some different mind-numbing work than other jobs I've had.
Currently navigating the GRE site and (hopefully) signing up for one soon. I figure even if I don't know where or when I'll be attending grad school, I should take it early before all the knowledge I have leaks out of my ears.
Other than that, nothin's really happening. Oh, I gave my talk last thursday, and it went swell. Not really much else to say.
Bleh, I'll be back when more interesting things happen.
Enough, More Later.
- James
Thursday, November 06, 2008
Back Home
Now playing: David Arnold - Fight Inn
via FoxyTunes
So I've made it back home in one piece, I had a blast in Italy. I'm a little annoyed at myself that I didn't do any write ups for my solo Ravenna trip, Florence, or Venice (not to mention the wonderful time I had in Ivrea!), but I'll be posting pictures soon, so hopefully that'll soften the lack of a finished travelogue.
I'm still getting over the jet lag, it's really weird to completely crash around 8 pm and wake bolt upright at 3 am. It definitely made things interesting for the author talk I had today as a follow up to winning the Prized Writing competition, but that went off well otherwise.
Right, I am completely zonked. Off to bed, and pictures later.
Enough, More Later.
- James
via FoxyTunes
So I've made it back home in one piece, I had a blast in Italy. I'm a little annoyed at myself that I didn't do any write ups for my solo Ravenna trip, Florence, or Venice (not to mention the wonderful time I had in Ivrea!), but I'll be posting pictures soon, so hopefully that'll soften the lack of a finished travelogue.
I'm still getting over the jet lag, it's really weird to completely crash around 8 pm and wake bolt upright at 3 am. It definitely made things interesting for the author talk I had today as a follow up to winning the Prized Writing competition, but that went off well otherwise.
Right, I am completely zonked. Off to bed, and pictures later.
Enough, More Later.
- James
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