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The Hobbit
Peter Jackson has released the first of a series of video logs chronicling the shooting of The Hobbit. I have very fond memories of this book from my childhood, even more than The Lord of the Rings trilogy. I’m looking forward to seeing the final product, even if it has to be in 3D. [via]
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Cat’s Cradle
Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut Published: 1963 My third Vonnegut book, and a strong contender for my favourite. Of the three, this is his most straight-forward book as far as the plot is concerned – straight-forward for Vonnegut at least. The story begins with the narrator, John, setting off to write a book on what important Americans did the day the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. He focuses on Felix Hoenikker, a fictional physicist who developed the bomb, and while interviewing his co-workers and children, he learns that the scientist may have left behind a substance that could threaten life on earth. Cat’s Cradle centres around the juxtaposition…
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The Hundred Martyrs to Democracy
I finished Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut the other day. I unfortunately haven’t had a chance to write about it yet, but I thought I’d pop on to share this quote. This particular bit feels like a precursor for Slaughterhouse 5, which was written six years after. This comes from an American ambassador giving a speech to the fictional Caribbean nation San Lorenzo, memorializing the hundred soldiers they lost during the war. They became known as The Hundred Martyrs to Democracy (lo Hoon-yera Mora-toorz tut Zamoo-cratz-ya in the native tongue). “We are gathered here, friends,” he said, “to honor lo Hoon-yera Mora-toorz tut Zamoo-cratz-ya, children dead, all dead, all murdered…
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The Monster of Nix
The Monster of Nix, the highly anticipated animated musical by Dutch artist and filmmaker Rosto, is nearing completion. The 30 minute long, existentialist fairy tale will hit the screens Spring 2011. What excites me about this project is that it features the voice acting of Terry Gilliam and Tom Waits! It’s worth keeping an eye on just for that. [via]
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Kurt Vonnegut’s Eight Rules for Writing Fiction
Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted. Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for. Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water. Every sentence must do one of two things — reveal character or advance the action. Start as close to the end as possible. Be a sadist. Now matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them — in order that the reader may see what they are made of. Write to please just one person. If…
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Late Resolutions
I’ve been thinking about goals lately, mainly because it’s a lot easier than trying to achieve them. I missed out on the whole New Years thing, being sans blog at the time, so I thought I’d make a few late (and admittedly slightly wimpy) resolutions for the remainder of the year. It might be fun to check in every now and then and see what progress I’ve made. So at the end of 2011, I want to: Be 10 lbs lighter – I spent last spring mountain biking and being relatively fit, relative to previous years anyway. Since then, a combination of laziness and health issues (the health issues being…
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The Importance of Silliness
Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones did an interview for Rock Paper Shotgun a few months back to promote the release of a Monty Python Facebook game, but they spent the time discussing imagination, history, and consumerism. Note: this post contains a video that appears to be a bit shy of RSS readers…
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Anansi Boys
Anansi Boys (audio) by Neil Gaiman Published: 2006 Narration: Lenny Henry This was the first audio book I tried to get through, probably a year ago now, and I just couldn’t do it. I listened to the first two chapters over and over, each time I went for a jog, because I couldn’t focus on the story and would lose track of where I was. I thought it was Lenny Henry, who I’ve never even really found funny as a comedian, but now that I’ve developed a basic attention span, I can see he does a fantastic job on this narration. Quite often during this, I’d listen to him deliver…
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Thai Beef and Peanut Curry
I’d best be described as a moderately adequate, yet unadventurous, cook. If you locked me in a stocked kitchen for a weekend, I wouldn’t die or have to eat spaghetti with ketchup for 48 hours, but I wouldn’t mind having some cooking skills beyond what is needed for survival. My problem is that I’m a little lazy, and it’s easier to fall back on tried and true recipes than try something new. That routine gets a little stale, though, so I’ve decided to try to branch out a little more by trying at least one new recipe each week. I’ll post the successful trials here, I think. First on the…
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An Evening with Ray Bradbury
Not to turn this into a Bradbury fan site, but here’s his 2001 keynote address at The Sixth Annual Writer’s Symposium by the Sea. Great stories from a writer’s life. I love listening to someone who takes no shame in their enthusiasm and passion for a topic. It’s also healthy to listen to adorable, old people talk about their lives sometimes.