I’ve seen a number of critics compare Christopher Nolan to the works of Stanley Kubrick. When one surveys the current state of big name directors, Nolan is perhaps on the surface the most appropriate modern analogue to Kubrick…
The biggest problem I had with Robert Heinlein’s Stranger in a Strange Land was that it felt very much like two novels slammed together in a desperate attempt to form a singular work. There is a very definite shift in the last quarter of the novel, where the consequences of characters’ actions begin to vary [...]
I had a long post a few months back ranting against the idea of Hulu going to a pay model. Now I’ve got a little bit of hat-eating to do. The reason is that the new service called Hulu Plus, which costs $9.99 a month and was announced today, does not replace the old service. [...]
I’ve virtually abandoned Facebook in favor of Twitter. I’ve been thinking about it a little bit lately, and I think there are two things that have caused that, one of which is technological and one of which is philosophical. Neither has anything to do with privacy. I’ve more or less accepted that I live in [...]
The question at the heart of “The End of the World” is, appropriately enough, “What happens next?” This not only permeates the episode and colors the actions of its characters, but also inevitably rests in the mind of the viewer who, having been reasonably pleased with “Rose,” now wants to know whether this series will continue to captivate. To answer that question, writer Russell T. Davies weaves a tale that emphasizes death, loss, and the challenges of moving on, all centered around the planned demolition of planet Earth five billion years from now.
“Freak Out!” is ultimately a radical celebration of individualism and a rejection of “the way of doing things.” Above all else, “Freak Out!” is the album of the conceptual “I.”
“Rose” is about introductions. It is less a compelling story in and of itself than a proposition: will you come with me? It presents both Rose Tyler and the viewers with a new and exciting world, and hopes that they will follow.
Frank Zappa was the Mozart of the 20th Century, and consistently pushed musical, intellectual, and philosophical boundaries over the span of his thirty-year professional career in a way that no other popular musician ever has.
Some of you might be wondering why I changed the site’s look so radically this time around. It is a big departure from what I’ve been doing the last few years, when integrated Twitter feeds and ever-expanding sidebars ruled the roost. And I was pretty happy with the general feel of the site, down to [...]
I’ve been thinking about canceling my cable service. When I look at my consumption habits, I just don’t watch enough live TV to justify paying what I’m paying. If I can do it without paying a huge cancelation fee, I’ll get rid of it and then pay for a significantly faster internet connection – which [...]