"The Road" to the Oscars?

The New York Times gave it a positive yet not completely satisfied review and the Chicago Tribune gave it a decidedly unimpressed critique, so how can the film adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's Pulitzer Prize-winning "The Road" possibly garner any awards or other honorable recognition? The answer might have to do with Viggo Mortensen's performance or maybe even the film's dark cinematography and art direction. But this is all besides the point - on this Thanksgiving, the bleak postapocalyptic world of "The Road" will leave you grateful for this world no matter its current troubles.

Social Marketing

There are some advertising companies that pay people to tweet about particular products and services. This is social, word-of-mouth marketing on the Web. As the article suggests, people trust personal recommendations from friends, family, or beloved public figures moreso than straight-up advertisements. Though this all does make sense, I can see where it could become annoying:

@thomkudla I just saw a homeless man offer his cup of change to a college kid. This world is so funny sometimes.

@thomkudla I'm sitting on the porch, watching the rain fall.

@thomkudla I'm hungry, which reminds me, have you had that new sandwich at my favorite fast food place, *insert name*? It's tasty. (Cha-ching!)

@thomkudla Cleaning the kitchen. Using *insert well-known cleaning product here*. (Cha-ching!)

@thomkudla I went to *insert supermarket* and bought *insert cereal*, *insert candy bar*, and *insert soda*. Afterwards, I went to *insert electronics store* and bought a *insert entertainment system*. (Cha-ching, cha-ching, cha-ching, cha-ching, cha-ching, cha-ching!!!!!!)

Reading Books on Smart Phones

I would have never imagined it, but people are reading books on smart phones. I have some trouble understanding the allure of e-books and e-readers; granted, you can take more books around with you in digital format, but I personally prefer reading actual books primarily because I enjoy the process - sifting through the book page by page, highlighting favorite passages, writing notes, even smelling the book. I suppose people reading books on smart phones is a good thing regardless since it keeps people reading.

There Are Some Things You Mustn't Know

There are some things
you mustn't know,
be it from whence
the universe came
and where it might
be going today,
or how to perform
miracles - if
there are such things -
and be as God,
omnipotent and omniscient.

There are some things
you mustn't know,
such as what comes
before birth
and what comes
after death.

There are some things
you mustn't know,
like how to live forever
or why we are here.

There are some things
you mustn't know,
but that won't stop you
from trying to understand.

Big Pharmaceutical Strikes Again

With health care reform on its way to becoming a reality, pharmaceutical companies are raising the prices of prescription drugs. Once before on this blog I've expressed my dissatisfaction with that industry, addressing such topics as its unnecessary marketing of drugs and wining/dining of doctors. Now I hear about this. I probably wouldn't be as bothered by these raises in prices if it weren't for the fact that I know these drugs are relatively inexpensive in other countries. Even before these price increases, medications were a quarter, if not less than a quarter, of the cost in other countries as they are here. And yet the prices go up more in anticipation of the reforms. Isn't the pharmaceutical industry making enough money already?

Insanity's Cure: What I'm Grateful For

That dream we share,
the one where we
have reasons
to keep going
and aspirations
to become better.
Life

The comfort of friends,
the unconditional love of family,
the undying support of a Grand Spirit we often forget.
Togetherness

The fire within
that burns every time
circumstances get insurmountable,
the flames of passion
shedding lights upon our future.
Hope

These words,
because they
set me free
and save my soul
constantly.
Cure

Thanks for
giving
and
forgiving.
Thanksgiving

Nabokov Remixed

Though Vladimir Nabokov's last wishes for his final novel, "The Original of Laura," were to have it destroyed if it wasn't finished at the time of his death, I'm glad that his son decided to publish it. This not only provides the reader with an opportunity to read Nabokov's last work, but it also gives the reader a glimpse into his process as an author. Nabokov often organized his work with notecards and, for the incomplete parts of the novel, Nabokov's son arranged them in what he thought was the most logical order, including perforated edges so that the cards could be reordered according to how the reader thinks it was meant to be. This is a great idea, one that reminds me of how musicians like Trent Reznor request that their fans remix their music. Such interactivity is a welcome addition to the literary environment. Of course, I'm still unsure as to if Nabokov would be happy with this; I imagine he'd be upset. But there is no way for us to know for sure.

Canon or Memory?

This article recaps the last decade in film and raises an interesting question about what makes a movie important. Is a movie important when it gets enough critical acclaim to be included in a culture's canon of quality filmmaking? Is a movie important when it is so commercially successful and popularized that scenes, lines, characters, and actors can be easily recalled? Is a movie important when it signifies a resonant moment in your life, ingrained in your memory? I'd say all of these considerations make movies important; that is what is so great about movies.

It's a slam dunk

Here's a nice story about NBA players who don't dunk. I love slam dunks. They make basketball more exciting. Even the annual dunk competition is something to look forward to every year. To think that the NCAA banned dunking for a period of time is shocking and something I am ashamed to admit that I never knew. There are a lot of players who seem tall enough to dunk who don't dunk, be it because they are unhealthy, too old, not inside players, or simply never given the opportunity. Particularly interesting is the idea of dunking as a symbol of masculinity. I wonder if the same can be said for homeruns in baseball, checks in hockey, and sacks in football.

Your Photographic Online Presence

Online photos reveal much about someone's personality. I wonder what my author photo reveals about me: introverted, spiritual, philosophical, contemplative, sullen. And yet I have other photos that make me look like I'm the opposite of all those things. I can't stand first impressions, mainly because I have yet to see one of my first impressions of someone ever be true. I think first impressions are not an accurate judge of personality or character.

Insanity's Cure: The Space Between You and I

Walking through a dense forest covered in rain, trees soaked and sullen, roots dead or dying, I find a source of comfort in the chameleon resting against a stump. You are brown like the trees, you can be green like the leaves, you can be blue like the seas - but really it is all a trick of light. I have known people of your kind. They will say or do just about anything to not draw attention to themselves, to blend in with their surroundings. I prefer being different and the same.
Leaves without grass

It has been so long since I last heard another's heart beat; I'm beginning to question whether my own heart beats or if all those times my lover rested her head against my chest she heard nothing yet said she heard my heart. I was once fearful that I had no heart, literally and metaphorically, and then I cried long enough to realize my chest, my body, my being, my spirit was overwhelmed with heart.
We bleed the same

She cut the apple into seven slices and told me to take one. I did so, staring into her deep hazel eyes long enough to feel warm. She said this is no Adam and Eve story. We don't get kicked out of any gardens; we are in the garden now; we are tending to it of our own volition. We both ate the fruits of our labor - delicate skin, sweet juices, filling and fulfilling. I believe in heaven because she and I created it.
Having ribs for dinner

Don't jump. We care about you. We only laugh at you because we are fond of you. You only got fired because you weren't doing your job. Your wife left you because you were cheating on her. Your mistress left you because you wouldn't leave your wife for her. But it's not your fault; it rarely is your fault. Blame it on circumstance. Just don't jump. We need you. We need you to break the fall of someone else.
Man on top of building

It's probably because I don't understand you that I have such disdain for you. I'm angrier with myself than anyone or anything else. How could I ever let this get the better of me? Now you're seeing the worst of me. And yet you don't run away. You don't fight back. You don't worry. You just stand there, an all-knowing smile encompassing your face like dark clouds consuming the moon. I'll never understand you, but that doesn't mean I won't stop trying to understand you.
About understanding

Spoiled Slumdog Millionaires

Apparently, the child stars of "Slumdog Millionaire" think they are millionaires who don't need to go to school. Ever since the success of last year's best picture, "Slumdog Millionaire", the children have been traveling during the week, missing classes. They have also been rude to their teachers and otherwise disinterested in the assistance of their counselor. Even director Danny Boyle is concerned. Hopefully, these kids will stop letting it go to their heads; after all, it's only one movie.

Going Pro

Here's an intriguing article about a high school basketball player named Jeremy Tyler who went pro overseas in Israel with the hopes of building the skills to eventually become a top draft pick in the NBA. After reading this article, I'm beginning to wonder how players like Kobe Bryant and LeBron James managed to adjust to the professional lifestyle so easily straight out of high school. Even Michael Beasley, who went to college for one year, has had trouble adjusting, having been fined various times for violating team policies, among other things. I suppose some talented players are more mature than others even at young ages. This is certainly the case with Jeremy Tyler, whose story is being made into a documentary that could be interesting, that is, if he manages to grow up like his coach wants him to.

Technology as a Social Lubricant?

Get that vision of socially isolated computer geeks out of your head: A new study suggests that, though during the past few decades people have become more socially isolated, it has nothing to do with technological advancements like the Internet and cell phones. Apparently, the Internet - and social networking sites in particular - as well as cell phones have helped bring people closer together not farther apart. The study found that, on average, people not taking advantage of technology are more socially isolated. Happily, most people still prefer face-to-face communication.

After death, a Facebook profile lives on

All you Facebook users out there should take note: Once you die, your loved ones can request to have your profile "memorialized," leaving your wall open for people to eulogize but closing the account itself forever. I wonder what a memorialized Facebook profile would look like after hundreds of years. Soon people might stop visiting graves every year to pray and instead offer prayerful meditations online every few months. Craziness!

Insanity's Cure: Shadows

There comes a time when it's difficult to differentiate between dreams and reality. When you're unsure of whether you actually did run down the street naked screaming something about your pants being on fire or if you just went to bed early that night after drinking some curdled milk, the time has come for you to restructure your life. You're either in too much of a monotonous routine or you're not getting enough sleep.
Doctor's orders

He watched the flames hop from tree to tree knowing full well that he was the cause of such destruction. And it certainly didn't help that the weather was scorching hot and deathly dry with a violent wind villianous in its subsequent spreading of the fire. It was all an accident but no one would believe him. So he stayed there and waited for hell to consume his body.
To the ground

There was nothing left. And no one there to create anything. The world was a void. There would be no cars driving by; there would be no birds singing; there would be no trees waving in the breeze; there would be no people chattering about the latest gossip. There was nothing. Nothing mattered because there was no matter. One would like to think things are cyclical and everything would be rebuilt. Not this time. This was the end of the end.
Nothingness and so much wanting

Take a look outside yourself. If you could see yourself now, without love and without a future, you'd feel the same way I do - indifferent to life. It could be all your fault. It could be the reason you are this way is because you made it like this. But the truth is that you just happen to have the worst luck in the world and no one can forgive you for that.
Unfortunate one

All this optimism, goodness, and hope comes too late. If only we had thought of these ideas - and acted upon them - years ago, maybe then we wouldn't be in such a problematic situation today. But we were too busy making money and starting wars, lemmings led off a cliff, engaged in an instinctual self-destruction. Who will inherit this earth? Not one of us, not any of us. The earth is no inheritance that can be passed down through the ages; the earth is its own entity, capable of surviving humanity.
Curing the planet

If you're inspired, don't categorize your writing

Here's an interesting article describing the different types of genres authors can dabble in - it's mostly satirical but informative nonetheless. The funniest entry is probably "Thriller." Though Colson Whitehead raises some valid - and hilarious - points about deciding on what to write about next, I personally find it best not to categorize your writing into a genre. It is only without categorization that the mind is free to pursue all sorts of fanciful ideas, some more intriguing than others. For instance, the current project I'm working on started as one type of story but recently morphed into a combination of narrative structures that render the story atypical. If I didn't start with a lack of categorization and the freedom to pursue other literary considerations, I wouldn't enjoy writing this project nearly as much.

More trouble for newspapers

As if there weren't enough problems for newspapers already, it seems that advertisements on newspaper Web sites are being limited due to cost and intended audience. Apparently, advertising on newspaper Web sites is a lot more expensive than advertising on other sites and sometimes a newspaper audience can be too general for advertisers' target markets. I'm not sure how this could be remedied; it seems even when newspapers smoothly transition into the digital age they still get flummoxed and genuinely thwarted by other issues. I hope newspapers don't die, but only time will tell.

All I Want for Christmas...

I know it's early, but this is what I want for Christmas: "The Complete Stories of J.G. Ballard." What better way to celebrate the loving season than by reading up on the dystopic wastelands of this futurist genius's writing. Joy to the world.

The Writer Who Was Mute

He never speaks but he writes such brilliant and beautiful poetry.

Awhile back the New York Times published an article called "When Writers Speak" by Arthur Krystal about why writers are such bad conversationalists. I couldn't agree more with Krystal's thoughts on this topic. It reminds me of the first time my writing was ever mass-produced. When I wrote stories for the student newspaper in high school, many of my friends and peers thought it was so strange because the writing seemed so intelligent and yet I was the kid who always said "dude" and "man" whenever I spoke. It became an ongoing joke, but it serves to confirm what Krystal suggests: that writers are far better at writing than they are at speaking. In fact, I bet some writers may have even learned how to speak later in life than most people or maybe they were just more shy during their formative years.