I'm going to go out on a limb with this one, but I would put forward the idea that, just as Spider-Man was a reflection of America's spirit immediately post-9/11, Spider-Man 2 serves as a pretty good reflection of the national mood a few years further on. To explain:
The theme of the first film was outright heroism. Oh, to be sure, it was repeatedly pointed out that there are certain prices to pay; "with great power comes great responsibility" and so forth. But the essential nobility of it, the worthiness and worthwhileness of Peter's choice to become a superhero was never really questioned.
The second film does question those assumptions. We're asked to consider whether running around acting as a hero might be futile at best, and actually harmful at worst. Many scenes play out as darker echoes of the first film; Peter rescues a child from a burning building (without using his powers, even) and returns her to her grateful parents. Yet he learns later that, unbeknownst to him, another man burned to death a few floors further up. It becomes increasingly clear to him that he cannot hope to save everyone.
There's another section of the film where Peter, for a while, rejects herodom entirely. Much like the first film, he witnesses a robbery and chooses not to intervene. And this time, no tragedy results. The world keeps on spinning. We are asked to consider whether an opportunity to act heroically requires us to do so, or merely gives us the option.
Yet another scene depicts an exhausted Spider-Man, having just stopped a runaway train, about to fall into the harbor below. He is caught by the passengers, who pass him along like honorary pallbearers, and later, choose not to reveal his identity. I swear I heard someone in the theatre shout, "Go New York!". Trite, perhaps, but also a valid and oft overlooked point: under the right conditions, mobs of people can act with incredible nobility instead of ignorance and hate. New York really did remind the world of that, and though the first film gave short shrift to the heroism of the ordinary individual, the second reminds us of it often.
The film's strongest argument in favor of the hero comes from Aunt May (speaking, I maintain, the words of Stan Lee). Interestingly, she says very little about the things Spider-Man has actually done. Rather, she's most concerned with the way in which he has inspired others, like their young neighbor boy. This, she claims, is Spider-Man's greatest importance. The film could even be commenting upon itself: do all the whiz-bang action sequences pale into insignificance besides the ideals, and the nature of humanity itself, that the film projects?
The point of all this is that I think Spider-Man 2 will resonate strongly with a nation that has, perhaps, become a bit weary with playing the hero. We've become very aware, not only of the responsibilities that come with the role, but of all the violence and pain and missed opportunities and unintended consequences that come with it. That's not to say (and the film doesn't say) that it's not worth it to be a hero; rather, it's that you must think very carefully about what you are doing, how you are doing it, and most importantly, why.
It's quite clear at the end that Peter is acting for just as many selfish motives as selfless ones. This does not invalidate his actions; but when he tries to forget the personal side, his powers seem to vanish. I think that there might be a little lesson there for all of us.
Wednesday, June 30, 2004
Spider-Man 2
A quick post before bed, on my last half-hour of battery life. What possessed me to bring my laptop to KC but not an adapter?
Spider-Man 2 is, without question, far superior to its predecessor, which was itself a pretty good film. Without going into spoilers, it has a great deal more humor, and does a better job of remembering that it's a comic book. It also seems much longer than its 2:15 running time, not in a is-this-over-yet? way, but in a wow-there's-a-lot-of-plot-here sort of way.
Let me go out on a limb and say that the female characters (Mary-Jane and Aunt May) are the most interesting in the film. While all the men around them seem to be doing and thinking and feeling whatever the plot requires them to, these woman seem like fully realized human beings. That's very important even (especially?) in comic books, as their writers have never forgotten. Aunt May, in particular, seems to be speaking words directly from Stan Lee's mouth. The philosophy behind his characters and his writing becomes crystal clear. (Look for his quick cameo in a scene involving Aunt May.)
Oh, yes, and my interview today! Went quite well, I think, despite my being rather sleep deprived. Talked to three people from the company; one was definitely positive, one probably was but hard to say, and one was totally unreadable. One way or another they say they'll get back to me within two weeks or so. Don't expect me to announce it here immediately - I may, by then, have some other offers to consider - but the signs are positive, at least.
Spider-Man 2 is, without question, far superior to its predecessor, which was itself a pretty good film. Without going into spoilers, it has a great deal more humor, and does a better job of remembering that it's a comic book. It also seems much longer than its 2:15 running time, not in a is-this-over-yet? way, but in a wow-there's-a-lot-of-plot-here sort of way.
Let me go out on a limb and say that the female characters (Mary-Jane and Aunt May) are the most interesting in the film. While all the men around them seem to be doing and thinking and feeling whatever the plot requires them to, these woman seem like fully realized human beings. That's very important even (especially?) in comic books, as their writers have never forgotten. Aunt May, in particular, seems to be speaking words directly from Stan Lee's mouth. The philosophy behind his characters and his writing becomes crystal clear. (Look for his quick cameo in a scene involving Aunt May.)
Oh, yes, and my interview today! Went quite well, I think, despite my being rather sleep deprived. Talked to three people from the company; one was definitely positive, one probably was but hard to say, and one was totally unreadable. One way or another they say they'll get back to me within two weeks or so. Don't expect me to announce it here immediately - I may, by then, have some other offers to consider - but the signs are positive, at least.
Monday, June 28, 2004
Live from the Twelfth Floor
Posting from my hotel room in Kansas City. Ethernet ports in every room. What a wonderful world we live in, that this is becoming a semi-standard feature. Love the booby-traps though. Have a complimentary bottle of water! PS: We'll charge $4.00 to your bill if you do...
Cerner is literally wining and dining us - dinner was at a really, really nice restaurant here on the plaza. Perhaps I misevaluated who needs who more; they're really going out of their way to convince me that it's a nice place to work and nice city in which to live. When, in reality, if I didn't think so, I never would have applied in the first place. Ah well. Real interviews are tomorrow noon, and I will in fact be going to see Spider-Man 2 at midnight, and head home Wednesday instead.
More decisions from the Supreme Court today, and unlike last week, these are really cool. Holding people indefinitely without trial? BAH! Take that, Bush. Glad to see the Supremes occasionally remember that we do have a few bedrock legal principles in this country.
Cerner is literally wining and dining us - dinner was at a really, really nice restaurant here on the plaza. Perhaps I misevaluated who needs who more; they're really going out of their way to convince me that it's a nice place to work and nice city in which to live. When, in reality, if I didn't think so, I never would have applied in the first place. Ah well. Real interviews are tomorrow noon, and I will in fact be going to see Spider-Man 2 at midnight, and head home Wednesday instead.
More decisions from the Supreme Court today, and unlike last week, these are really cool. Holding people indefinitely without trial? BAH! Take that, Bush. Glad to see the Supremes occasionally remember that we do have a few bedrock legal principles in this country.
Sunday, June 27, 2004
200 miles south of everywhere
Posting this from Rusty's apartment down in Kansas City. Not a particularly long drive, but it kinda sucks when the cruise control on your car doesn't work. Oh well. Fittingly, he wasn't here when I got here - had to wait for him to clean out a poker tournament. And when he got here, he offered me a beer. Some things never change. :)
Looks like I'm finally about to win our online Citadels game. About time, to. I don't tend to win very much, and the last few summers I've tended to lose HARD. Just lucky I guess.
Happiness is showing up at a college dorm room with beer... and cookies.
Interviewing starts tomorrow. Wish me luck. I might stick around afterwards on Tuesday evening to go see Spider-Man 2 at midnight, tickets permitting. Review here if I do.
Looks like I'm finally about to win our online Citadels game. About time, to. I don't tend to win very much, and the last few summers I've tended to lose HARD. Just lucky I guess.
Happiness is showing up at a college dorm room with beer... and cookies.
Interviewing starts tomorrow. Wish me luck. I might stick around afterwards on Tuesday evening to go see Spider-Man 2 at midnight, tickets permitting. Review here if I do.
Friday, June 25, 2004
He's at it again
More watching romantic films alone in the wee hours of the night. "Amelie" this time. One of the best films ever made, in my opinion. I can't imagine anyone who wouldn't like it, so endlessly imaginative and charming. See it if you haven't. It also falls alongside "Magnolia" for films with the following message: not all of life's little chances and coincidences are as random as they seem; and even if they are, sheer chance is far more powerful than all of our plans put together. What Man proposes, God disposes...
A mystery: the film's literal title is "The Fabulous Destiny of Amelie Poulain", but beneath it, the English subtitles proudly proclaim, "Amelie from Montmartre". That's the district of Paris where the film is set, and apparently the title used for it at certain festivals and such. But, I can't imagine it being particularly evocative for anyone outside France. Curious.
Two of my better friends broke up, then reconciled, within the past twenty-four hours. Am I the only person who's never been through that particular dance in a relationship? I'm never sure how to treat such people; congratulate them for getting it over with? Console them and encourage them to get back together? Be nice? Be honest? It'd almost be better if people didn't tell me about these things until a week later.
Shareholders' meeting tomorrow, which probably means I have to look decent at work for once. Then again, perhaps the investors assume (as I sometimes do) that the shabbier an engineer looks, the more brilliant he is. Heh. I wish.
I've started telling a few people about this thing. Hello, if it's you.
"Without you, today's emotions would be the scurf of yesterday's."
A mystery: the film's literal title is "The Fabulous Destiny of Amelie Poulain", but beneath it, the English subtitles proudly proclaim, "Amelie from Montmartre". That's the district of Paris where the film is set, and apparently the title used for it at certain festivals and such. But, I can't imagine it being particularly evocative for anyone outside France. Curious.
Two of my better friends broke up, then reconciled, within the past twenty-four hours. Am I the only person who's never been through that particular dance in a relationship? I'm never sure how to treat such people; congratulate them for getting it over with? Console them and encourage them to get back together? Be nice? Be honest? It'd almost be better if people didn't tell me about these things until a week later.
Shareholders' meeting tomorrow, which probably means I have to look decent at work for once. Then again, perhaps the investors assume (as I sometimes do) that the shabbier an engineer looks, the more brilliant he is. Heh. I wish.
I've started telling a few people about this thing. Hello, if it's you.
"Without you, today's emotions would be the scurf of yesterday's."
Word of the Day:
ceilidh: An Irish or Scottish social gathering with traditional music, dancing, and storytelling.
Unbelievably enough, it's pronounced "kay-lee", and from it is derived the semi-popular name for girls.
In other news, men's dress shoes are horribly expensive, for reasons that are entirely beyond me. Electric shavers, on the other hand, are good, no matter what people might say. Ten page management papers are bad; fifteen page quantitative methods papers are worse. Shareholder meetings are good, but streaming QuickTime is bad. Beer cheese soup is very, very, very good, and if it were legal in this state, I'd ask it to marry me.
That is all.
Tuesday, June 22, 2004
It Burns Us, Precious
There were a number of interesting decisions handed down by the Supreme Court today. The scariest to me is the one that says you're required to give your name and identification to a police officer or be arrested, regardless of whether you've done anything wrong, regardless of whether he even has reason to think you have. Extremely icky. But then again, I'm a bit of a constitutional law wonk, so maybe my opinion should be taken with a grain of salt.
Getting a haircut can be a rather painful experience when your scalp is sunburned.
Still prepping for that job interview next week: getting my suit dry-cleaned, loafers polished, and realizing that I no longer have a decent pair of Oxfords and need a new one. Maybe I can find dress shoes that don't suck this time.
Speaking of job interviews and scary legalities, the following appears at the top of the forms I have to fill out for Cerner. All perfectly standard, I expect, but still:
Should I sign such a thing? Would you?
Getting a haircut can be a rather painful experience when your scalp is sunburned.
Still prepping for that job interview next week: getting my suit dry-cleaned, loafers polished, and realizing that I no longer have a decent pair of Oxfords and need a new one. Maybe I can find dress shoes that don't suck this time.
Speaking of job interviews and scary legalities, the following appears at the top of the forms I have to fill out for Cerner. All perfectly standard, I expect, but still:
I authorize Cerner Corporation (the "Company") and/ or its agents to procure and obtain a consumer report, including an investigative consumer report, pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act as part of its pre-employment selection process, or at other times during my employment if I am hired by the Company, and to make an investigation of my background, references, character, past or current employment, job performance, education, criminal and police records, general reputation, mode of living, credit worthiness, and to make other investigative checks, including those maintained by both public and private entities and public records, through data checks or personal interviews with those who may have knowledge concerning such information, for the purpose of confirming the information contained on my written or electronic application, Personal Data Sheet, resume, or other documentation and/or to obtain other information which may be material to my application for employment or continued employment with the Company.
Should I sign such a thing? Would you?
Monday, June 21, 2004
Strange Fact of the Day
Did you know that Lincoln is home to one of the world's most comprehensive sellers of licorice?
Sunday, June 20, 2004
Games of various varieties
Went to see the College World Series in Omaha last night with Wrenholt. Fullerton over South Carolina, 2-0. Pretty much a pitcher's duel, with only eight hits total between the two teams. I've been kinda surprised over the years how much I enjoy attending athletic events that I would have absolutely no interest in playing or watching on TV. Maybe it's the social aspect. Like going to a movie, except you're allowed to talk.
Speaking of which, also saw Prisoner of Azkaban for the second time. Caught a few details I missed the first time - like the spell Hermione uses to blast open Sirius's jail cell, "morsmordre", which is actually used in Book 4 to conjure the Dark Mark. Or the fact that Lupin, while not looking very much like our traditional werewolves, does look almost exactly like the illustrations that Snape displays for the class. I also stayed to watch the closing credits this time. There's no extra scene afterwards, as in the previous film, but they are a wonder to watch. Full of special effects nearly as elaborate as those in the film itself. Fun stuff.
Unfun stuff: the Second Quest of the original Legend of Zelda is just brutally difficult. I'd forgotten just how much so; I can't even manage to finish Level 4, and I'm almost ready to cheat or give up. Yikes. They definitely toned things down for the SNES generation onwards.
Speaking of which, also saw Prisoner of Azkaban for the second time. Caught a few details I missed the first time - like the spell Hermione uses to blast open Sirius's jail cell, "morsmordre", which is actually used in Book 4 to conjure the Dark Mark. Or the fact that Lupin, while not looking very much like our traditional werewolves, does look almost exactly like the illustrations that Snape displays for the class. I also stayed to watch the closing credits this time. There's no extra scene afterwards, as in the previous film, but they are a wonder to watch. Full of special effects nearly as elaborate as those in the film itself. Fun stuff.
Unfun stuff: the Second Quest of the original Legend of Zelda is just brutally difficult. I'd forgotten just how much so; I can't even manage to finish Level 4, and I'm almost ready to cheat or give up. Yikes. They definitely toned things down for the SNES generation onwards.
Friday, June 18, 2004
Biker Beer
Mike Wrenholt's birthday tonight. Stupid management test made me miss the burgers, but at least I think I aced it. Once I finally did get there, I mixed up a batch of radler, a German concoction I became quite fond of while I was studying there. Half wheat beer, half lemonade, it's really good stuff, particularly in the summer. Everyone else who tried it seemed to like it too.
Headed downtown to Bricktop after that, a bar I'd never been to before. I'd been told by reliable sources that it was "practically a gay bar anyway". Now I see what they mean: besides the techno, dance floor, and actual gay men, there were lots of (IMO) straight men who dressed and acted as if they ought to be gay. Stupid cultural cross-pollenation. Stupid Queer Eye for the Straight Guy...
I did confirm an earlier observation, though, which is that techno tends to put me into an ultra-relaxed, almost sleepy state. Maybe that's supposed to be the intended effect - I'm thinking of trance here, although the music tonight wasn't. Nobody else seemed to be reacting that way, though. Wierdness.
Headed downtown to Bricktop after that, a bar I'd never been to before. I'd been told by reliable sources that it was "practically a gay bar anyway". Now I see what they mean: besides the techno, dance floor, and actual gay men, there were lots of (IMO) straight men who dressed and acted as if they ought to be gay. Stupid cultural cross-pollenation. Stupid Queer Eye for the Straight Guy...
I did confirm an earlier observation, though, which is that techno tends to put me into an ultra-relaxed, almost sleepy state. Maybe that's supposed to be the intended effect - I'm thinking of trance here, although the music tonight wasn't. Nobody else seemed to be reacting that way, though. Wierdness.
Thursday, June 17, 2004
Can I try the fire wand?
So, The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures for the GameCube kicks every conceivable variety of ass. I just got done with a six hour session with James, Sarah, and Kyros, follow-up to a ten hour session last weekend. And I still want to play more.
The game works like this: each of the four players controls a different Link. You travel through a series of very Zelda-like dungeons, eight worlds of three areas each. The gimmick is that you have to use GameBoy Advances to control the game. Most of the time, you're all on screen, but when you go into a house or cave, the display switches down to the GameBoy screen, so each player is potentially seeing something different. The four of you have to cooperate to solve various puzzles and defeat enemies. But, the designers also added "force", tiny gems that determine points at round's end, in order to encourage a bit of competitiveness as well.
If you're a fan of the Zelda series like I am, then there's an orgy of things to enjoy here. The story is from Oracle of Seasons/Ages, the world map is from Ocarina of Time, the dungeons resemble Link to the Past, and many of the bosses are taken from Wind Waker. It's like they threw everything great about Zelda into a pot, stirred, and got back something even better.
So yeah, it's a amazingly fun game, even if James is a dirty, gem-guzzling whore. These are the sorts of things you just have to put up with in life.
The game works like this: each of the four players controls a different Link. You travel through a series of very Zelda-like dungeons, eight worlds of three areas each. The gimmick is that you have to use GameBoy Advances to control the game. Most of the time, you're all on screen, but when you go into a house or cave, the display switches down to the GameBoy screen, so each player is potentially seeing something different. The four of you have to cooperate to solve various puzzles and defeat enemies. But, the designers also added "force", tiny gems that determine points at round's end, in order to encourage a bit of competitiveness as well.
If you're a fan of the Zelda series like I am, then there's an orgy of things to enjoy here. The story is from Oracle of Seasons/Ages, the world map is from Ocarina of Time, the dungeons resemble Link to the Past, and many of the bosses are taken from Wind Waker. It's like they threw everything great about Zelda into a pot, stirred, and got back something even better.
So yeah, it's a amazingly fun game, even if James is a dirty, gem-guzzling whore. These are the sorts of things you just have to put up with in life.
Wednesday, June 16, 2004
Job Hunting
I had a telephone interview with Cerner today, the first (and so far only) company to show interest after my application blizzard a few weeks ago. Pretty standard stuff - expanding on my resume, some behavioral what-if questions, that sort of thing. I think it must have gone well, because they want me to come down to Kansas City in the near future to interview in person. Yay!
Romance for One
So, the other night, I watched a movie I haven't watched in a long time: Ever After. For those of you who aren't familiar, it's a retelling of the Cinderella story with an only-slightly-modern flavor. Oh, and I watched it by myself. At first, I thought myself pretty pathetic, but then I changed my mind.
I like romances because they show people at their best, which appeals to my inner idealist. They show the world, to paraphrase Ayn Rand, not as it is but "as it might be and ought to be". They make me feel... confident, somehow. Reassured. That love is waiting for me somewhere in the future, that being in love is every bit as wonderful as I remember it, that every once in a while, we do live happily ever after.
By comparison, and most of my friends can't understand this, I don't particularly care for romantic comedies. There's nothing particularly funny about being in love. Oh, sure, it's fun, but it's also (at the time, at least) the most important and serious thing in the world. Playing it for laughs somehow demeans the entire experience. For me, at least.
Romances I Dig: Amelie, Chasing Amy, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Ever After, My Best Friend's Wedding, The Broken Hearts Club, The Princess Bride. Many of them don't have particularly happy endings, but they have something even more important: honesty and total sincerity. And lots of it.
I like romances because they show people at their best, which appeals to my inner idealist. They show the world, to paraphrase Ayn Rand, not as it is but "as it might be and ought to be". They make me feel... confident, somehow. Reassured. That love is waiting for me somewhere in the future, that being in love is every bit as wonderful as I remember it, that every once in a while, we do live happily ever after.
By comparison, and most of my friends can't understand this, I don't particularly care for romantic comedies. There's nothing particularly funny about being in love. Oh, sure, it's fun, but it's also (at the time, at least) the most important and serious thing in the world. Playing it for laughs somehow demeans the entire experience. For me, at least.
Romances I Dig: Amelie, Chasing Amy, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Ever After, My Best Friend's Wedding, The Broken Hearts Club, The Princess Bride. Many of them don't have particularly happy endings, but they have something even more important: honesty and total sincerity. And lots of it.
A beginning is a very delicate time
So, I finally broke down and made myself a weblog. As perhaps the only neo-luddite software engineer in existance, I seem to be the last one to jump on any given bandwagon. Would you believe that I don't even own a cellular phone? But this one I just couldn't ignore any longer.
More than that, though I've never kept a diary, I've always had long, literary rants pop into my head, on a variety of subjects, and usually late at night. Normally, I would simply IM them to my friends, but it's been happening later and later, so that nobody's awake by the time I need to talk. And if I wait until the next morning, it's all fallen apart.
So, here I am. This will be my official place to brain dump, when nowhere else will do. But I think I'll let it sit for a while, accumulate some content, before I start telling my friends. Otherwise, they'll expect me to have something clever to say every day...
More than that, though I've never kept a diary, I've always had long, literary rants pop into my head, on a variety of subjects, and usually late at night. Normally, I would simply IM them to my friends, but it's been happening later and later, so that nobody's awake by the time I need to talk. And if I wait until the next morning, it's all fallen apart.
So, here I am. This will be my official place to brain dump, when nowhere else will do. But I think I'll let it sit for a while, accumulate some content, before I start telling my friends. Otherwise, they'll expect me to have something clever to say every day...
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