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Flash of Genius
Throughout history, inventors have rarely had an easygoing life. They’ve seldom had any capitol needed to develop their ideas, few saw their ideas be part of common use in their lifetime and regrettably those who did often had them stolen.
Like many inventors, Robert Kearns was a dreamer.
The other night we watched this fantastic inspiring true story (Flash of Genius) film starring Greg Kinnear about a college professor in Detroit (Robert Kearns) who invented and fought for years against major automaker Ford for infringing upon his intermittent windshield wiper system that you now see in every car in the world.
Back then, car wipers were either on or off; they couldn’t be metered to swipe periodically.
There’s a scene in court where Kearns represents himself and he’s being criticized for not inventing anything because technically all the parts he used to create this system already existed and could be found in any catalog. There is some validity in what was being said against Kearns but his rebuttal is what stood out for me.
His son hands him a book by Charles Dickens (Tale of Two Cities), he reads the first couple of lines and asked the witness if he thinks that Dickens invented any of the words he recited. The witness reluctantly responds “No”.
Kearns says -
“I haven’t checked but I’m pretty sure there’s not a single word in this book that is new and they can all be found in a dictionary. All Dickens did was arrange them into a pattern. He created something new by using words, perhaps the only tools that were available to him just as almost all inventors have had to do in history.”
Kearn’s analogy was nothing different from what he had accomplished. He took basic electrical components, arranged them into a specific pattern and achieved an ambition that every car company in the world was struggling to invent but Kearns was not being given credit for it.
The outcome I’ll leave for you to explore on your own but this scene got me thinking that what we become as individuals or company depends fundamentally not just on our ideas but on our ability to achieve them and execute them amazingly well and they’re rarely found by thinking but by doing.
You don’t have to be part of a major corporation for your ideas to be heard. Any group of passionate, ambitious people could technically put a company out of business with a brilliant idea or strike it rich by selling it to them.
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Inglourious Basterds ★ ★ ★ ★ ½
Last night we saw Quentin Tarantino’s newest creation Inglourious Basterds. The film was outrageous. It completely rewrites history in this incredible freaky vision of how so many wished things had happen in WWII. It’s very difficult to admit that the bloodshed and cruelty against the Nazis was unusually amusing but the cheering and rooting of the audience took away any guiltiness I had.
I loved every single minute of the film. The considerable degree of detail was gorgeous that you couldn’t resist looking pass the acting at times and just admire the pieces that garnished a scene. Even the carefully crafted camera movements was as vital and noticeable. I’m generally not an admirer of subtitles but you get so captivated by the story that you find it remorseful not to follow along, so you’ll get over that.
Some performances were great but one that stood above the rest for me was the most menacing character represented by Christoph Waltz as Col. Hans Landa aka “The Jew Hunter” who I’m sure will pick up a Best Supporting Actor nomination.
The most obvious answers to the question of what makes a great film star is talent and even that sounds somewhat vague because it’s not the only variable to consider. I’m not a cinema critic but from my perspective, the best form to judge a performance is to analyze if the actor convinced you that the part they portrayed was meant for them and absolutely no one else.
Christoph did just that and his stunning ability to wipe out his own identity and exchange it for the one given was remarkable. His acting was very reminiscent of Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight. It was that good.
Both were highly observant of human behavior with deep understanding of it and could recreate it in front of any audience. You grow to hate them both but still hold respect for their characters because of their dedication to their work regardless of how inhuman it may have been. Stop reading now and getting discouraged by what critics say and go see the movie.
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District 9 ★ ★ ★ ★ ½
Generally when studios release very cryptic trailers to an upcoming film, a spectatorship amounts in trying to interpret the vague parts to something that we know little about but seems jaw-dropping enough to consider despite a prevalent plot. We all love alien films.
Alien invasion motif is nothing new but District 9 fully changed my perspective of what one typically expect from such films and it brought it down to a more understanding level. Rather than humans being the overpowered victims, it’s quite the opposite where the aliens are the non-aggresive refugees and they are being marginalized in Johannesburg, South Africa.
I love that the film doesn’t bore you with the conventional first encounter or arrival of aliens to earth but instead picks up on that “what if” thought that I’ve had in knowing what cultural impact aliens would have if they lived here.
The apartheid metaphor is more than obvious and in the middle of all the guns and explosions, there’s quite some sentimental moments that have you rooting for the other species. Twenty years the aliens have been on earth and what’s interesting is in how humans have already adapted to their complex language, culture and now just look to exploit their weapon technology.
The pseudo documentary style that characterized Cloverfield makes the film so authentic in combination with news footage and security cameras that blend in quite nicely. I really enjoyed District 9 and I anticipate in seeing more of this form of mockumentary in Hollywood.
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My Amazon Kindle 2
I’ll accept that I was strong in not publishing my initial impression of the Kindle 2 within the hours of receiving it and stayed true to that decision seeing that I had not established a genuine relationship with the device yet. After spending a full week relaxing, reading and effortlessly purchasing books on it, I can’t tell you how convenient this thin 10 oz piece of technology has made the subtle act of reading.
Photo by Ed McGowan
Why the purchase?
Admittedly, the high price tag of the Kindle can be a discouragement for anyone but I think much of the disapproval came from potential buyers not being able to get a tangible sense of it since Kindle sightings are still rare and the only way to get a first hand look at it is for the consumer to dish out the money first. Eventually, I oversaw that shortcoming and don’t regret it since.
In the past year, I’ve felt myself become a ruthless online reader and somewhere in between, I lost touch with having the same passion towards books and if you’re in the same plight, the Kindle I believe has the influence to turn that around. No question I enjoy reading either way but the operative word involving anything Kindle is convenience.
Hardcovers are expensive, annoying to lug around and unless it’s a reference book that you can see yourself pulling off the shelf regularly, it will do nothing but accumulate space and dust. Granted there’s still a few physical books that I would prefer to still buy but as for anything else, the ability to have them all stored in a device is incomparable. I love using the Kindle, love showing it off and if you’re an equally avid reader, you’ll have a harder time deciding which next book to purchase rather than dwelling on the price tag of a device that you’re ultimately going to put use to anyway.
What I like?
The e-ink technology on the Kindle is beyond impressive. I take pleasure being able to have the weirdest posture while hanging loose on the bed or sofa and not having to hold the device directly in front of me because from any angle, the text looks crisp and legible and doesn’t cause eye strain.
I’m big on annotating and bookmarking insightful passages on books and that in combination with searching words on the built-in dictionary works like a charm. No more the need to rely on Post-it. As an added bonus, when you plug the Kindle into the computer via USB, you can download all the annotations you’ve made in a sweet .txt format.
The portability factor goes without saying. As thin as a pencil and elegant as an iPhone. I read it anywhere and the ability to flip between three different books all varying in subject matter is remarkable and makes you the envy during those commutes.
The Kindle uses the American EVDO network, which is equivalent to the European 3G but perhaps a bit slow moving. Wi-Fi would have resolve that but at the expense of not being able to download books from everywhere, which by the way is seamless and addicting so control your temptation and wallet.
The basic black/white browser is handy but not one I’ve explored so much because for those moments that I might have to do a quick search, I place reliance on my iPhone for that.
There’s lots of great inexpensive books from independent authors, from free public domain sites and of course the beauty of not having to drive to the bookstore for a latest release is priceless. I’m really big on going through several reviews on Amazon for books I’m interested in and the availability of that feature on the Kindle Store is valuable.
Based on the direction that the industry seems to be going, I would say that a touch and colored screen would be nice. I’m fond of both options which undoubtedly would be a plus but I’m quite satisfied with where the device stands because it fulfills it’s real purpose; which is to read books.
What don’t like?
The Kindle 2 promises to hold up to 1,500 books which is enough to please your literary craving for the next 3 years but once you start uploading some tunes to it, those 2GB of built-in memory can fill up quickly (something which I have no interest in). An expandable SD slot would have been nice for those that opt to go that route.
Typically every app you launch on your iPhone, the time and date bar on top is always present. Well, the Kindle doesn’t have neither. Often you get so engrossed in your book and that any tiny attribute that would keep you grounded comes in handy.
Amazon was quick to emulate Apple where it took away a piece that was given free of charge at first but then ended up charging you for it the second time around. During it’s initial release, a leather cover accompanied the Kindle but now it’s sold separately for $29.99.
For storage reason, at one point you’re going to delete some books that you’ve already read. Not a problem because Amazon keeps a copy of it for you but what they don’t publicize is that there’s a limit to the number of times that you can download a book that you’ve purchase already. I can’t see why I would want to re-download a book but once you exceeded that limit, you’ll have to repurchase it again if you wish to have it. That’s where the whole DRM issue rears it’s ugly head.
What I would like?
When you download books to the Kindle, they’re all placed on the home section of the device. Yes, it makes it simple to select any which one but if there were a more systematic option that involved folders or drop-down menu to group each literature piece by genre would be friendly to the eye.
Reading is generally a solitary activity but it doesn’t have to be. Amazon has the potential to do what Microsoft accomplished with the gaming industry where you can build communities with other enthusiast players via Xbox Live, right from the comfort of your couch and essentially interact with them. Felix Torres describes what could lie ahead:
All they have to do is give Kindle an optional front page. Make it something like, oh, Facebook. Let Kindle users set up reading circles. Let them build communities. Talk to each other about what they’re reading, what they’ve read, Like the online features on the Amazon bookstore but closed, private. Personal. Friendly.
Is it for you?
Presuming that you enjoy reading, I would say yes. Amazon has really surpassed my expectations with the device and it’s exciting in seeing the buzz that it’s brought forth with people wanting to embrace reading again. Future releases, and speculation on the device looks promising.
On the other hand, if you’re the type of person that would just be enamored with the idea of owning a Kindle and only go through 1 or 2 books a year, then save your money.
