Soukie's Place
keeping track of random thoughtsArchive for 2010
Home Video Rip-Off
Can I see the film that won all the awards, please?
I believe there exists an ideal length for a given book, song or movie. That does not mean that the same theme cannot be recreated in a more minimalist or expansive way but then it is a different work. Take Annie Hall as an example of a film which feels just right at an hour and a half.
Successful authors often produce more complex and expansive works as their skills grow. But the success can also inflate the egos, and then the length grows as any output seems suddenly worthy of preservation. The results are Metallica’s St. Anger full of endless yet uninspired songs, the Harry Potter series which even some fans admit does not need to be 40% longerWhen I saw the Order of the Phoenix in a bookstore I thought it was a ‘cumulative’ edition, so I decided to wait until Rowling edits the heptalogy to be shorter than War and Peace. than the Bible, and extended versions of movies. The popular culture, and especially Hollywood, is influenced by the dogma that bigger is better.
‘Secure Internet’ a Naïve Oxymoron
The Internet is used by billions of people daily, for everything from instant messaging to on-line banking. Millions of dollars are transferred everyday so you would expect high security for these kinds of transactions. On-line banking sites and stores abound with images of locks and words like “Secure & Safe”. But to the surprise of many, the Internet is very insecure.
Journal Is a Silver Bullet
A journal is an intimate and useful companion
Keeping a journal has different connotations for different people. It could be old-fashioned and noble for one, practical and analytical for another, or stupid and pretentious for the next person. I used to be that next person.
What good is there in recapping the events of the day, laboriously putting down the details of all that transpired? I think the answer to this remains “not much.” But that is also not the best way of doing it. If you only wanted a record of what happened, a miniature camera could do a better job.
The Eye and HDR Photography
Gallery of images with high dynamic range
Sight is easily the most important sense we have, and not quite easily fooled with imitations. Although ‘3D’ seems to be all the rage nowadaysWas this article first published when intended I could not have this reference. But I am going to leave James Cameron’s new landmark film alone, and get a closer look at HDR photography with examples taken by Steven Richards — happy birthday, man!, even if we turn a blind eye to the stereoscopic nature of vision, the other eye still packs enough powers to put TVs and pictures to shame.
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