“Japan has a crappy culture,” my college roommate once said. The statement never sat well with me. The man watched animé and listened to J-pop, as did I. Such a sweeping criticism seemed disrespectful of the people who created the shows and music we enjoyed. All cultures have their downsides, …
This Week On Runicfire: March 11 – 17
This Monday’s round of links talk about how thinking harmless things are harmful makes you sick, the upside of pessimism and one man’s experience of growing up Catholic. Wednesday’s post will be partly about how culture affects sense of time, but mostly about how any one culture’s understanding of being human is woefully incomplete. And Friday I unleash …
Monday Links: WiFi Paranoia, Positive Pessimism, and Ebert’s Social Catholicism
Tinfoil hats, long life and prosperity, and cardinal contemplations feature on this Monday’s links. Wi-Fi signals are harmless to the human body, so far as we know. But they can make you ill—if you think they can make you ill. The whole story is on Neuroskeptic’s blog at Discover Magazine. A National Post article features research …
Telling Time in the Renaissance, Part II: From Water Clocks to the Pendulum
Last week, in Part I on my series on Renaissance time keeping, we discussed the Julian calendar’s Roman roots and its Gregorian revision the 16th century. This week, we explore the evolution of the clock in Renaissance Italy and its implications. There is no clock like the Present. It is a colored steel circle with …
The Cost of Making Movies: Why Film is So Expensive
As I wrote in my guest post at Cogswell College’s blog, I had the privilege of hearing a Hollywood producer discuss the process of converting a story from book to screen at this year’s San Francisco Writer’s Conference. There’s quite the demand for adaptations, apparently. As our guest said at the panel, “Everyone is looking …
Cogswell Guest Post About SFWC
I’ve recently had the privilege of writing a guest post on my college’s blog page about my trip to the San Francisco Writer’s Conference. Please check it out!
Monday Links: The Prison Problem, VFX Industry in the Red, and the Keystone Pipeline
This Monday’s collection of notable links covers two subjects of general importance, with one less far-reaching topic that still hits close to my heart. I recently found a thought-provoking article in Harvard Magazine, aptly titled “The Prison Problem.” The article discusses research sociologist Bruce Western which brings America’s criminal justice system into question. We imprison …
This Week on Runicfire: March 4 – 10
This Monday we open with a set of links to articles on prison reform, the plight of the VFX industry, and the potential ramifications Obama’s pending decision on the Keystone oil pipeline may have on the environment. On Wednesday I’ll be putting up a brief piece on filmmaking. And Friday shall feature Part II on “Telling Time in the …
Telling Time in the Renaissance, Part I: A Change in Calendars
Time is a slippery beast. You may believe otherwise, if you live in today’s West. Here, the moments march lockstep in time with the news ticker, Twitter feeds and the stock market bell—every event branded with a number. The precision of industry disguises the artifice that is our experience of time. In the world of …
Batgirl #12: A Feminist Critique of a Comic Book Cover
I have seen this cover from issue #12 of Batgirl circulating through Google+. Many praise its fine workmanship, and so do I. But despite the illustration’s virtues, I take issue with its approach. It’s about the characterization, you see. Image © Artgerm Observe Batgirl: hips swung forward, hand crossing her chin, eyes cast coyly askance …