JenUpdate

Forecast is light blogging until after the holidays are over ... not only is there tons of visiting to be done, my wireless connection has suddenly disappeared on me. And I want to redesign the site a bit. So look for a new version and new content around the beginning of the year.

Meanwhile, baby girl and I have already partaken in one family Christmas, and of course have more this weekend. We've also gotten to catch up with some friends, including Betsy Sr., who created a lovely little devil cap for Betsy Jr., as displayed below:

If I don't check in before then, everyone have a great holiday!

The Next Public Service Announcements ...

... will be about the dangers of online gaming.

In July, a South Korean man died after a 50-hour MMORPG session. And the Chinese government has recently tried to limit the number of hours that can be spent playing MMORPGs each day.

Interesting article, though, which makes me think we could put massive multiplayer games into the category of social software. I don't know too much about the myriad of intricate details that comprise the world of MMORPGs, beyond the facts that it's much to complicated for an outsider to understand. But I'm curious to see what could happen if someone designed a game with all of these cultural, economic, and legal powers in mind ... or if that is in fact has already happened.

Godlorica

I posted about my new favorite blog, Reality Carnival, a bit ago. But I forgot to mention another blog from the same source called Godlorica, which is comprised of "breaking news on God and other higher beings in this world and the world to come." Everything from peacock gods to religious aspects of the Simpsons to scientific calcuations that there is a 67% chance of God's existence.

This is the best, though: The Do-It-Yourself Deity. "Here's how it works. You are invited to select from the list below the attributes which you believe God must have (or the attributes that a being deserving of the name God must have). Metaphysical engineers will then model this conception of God to check out its plausibility."

I ended up with a Plasibility Quotient of 0.7. I have no idea what this means. It seems to be along the lines that my conception of God is not plausible. Which would make sense as an atheist. I guess it's trying to tell me I have too high standards. I guess I think God's the one being I shouldn't make allowances for.

By the way, over in the list of links on the left, is a great band name: Psychoactive God Worms.

The Holiday Spirit

That's my little one on the left, being completely unenthused about the whole proceedings. Her cousins aren't exactly thrilled, either. But here's to brightening up the sometimes stressful holiday season.

Probably of Interest Only to Other Filmheads ...

... but this piece of Atom Egoyan's on Hitchcock is worth reading.

No other director has ever put his audience in the direct line of fetishistic pursuit, made them want to see something so badly that it can tear apart all reason and sensibility. We are all implicated in this mad chase of the true Madeleine, enraptured by the sheer thrill of the elaborate psychological reconstruction. Hitchcock, through his creative genius, is illustrating the perverse core of the creative act-making something happen that isn't really there, and making us all believe in the process.

Hitch isn't always flawless. But he's definitely worth discussing. I think this article hits on the exact reason Vertigo gets under your skin so much.

Just because I can - my top five Hitchcock films:

1. Shadow of a Doubt


2. Notorious


3. Rear Window


4. North by Northwest


5. Marnie

Dreamlines

This is inexplicably cool. If you do it when you're already kinda tired and out-of-focus, you go to a very interesting place. At least I did.

Wht Satan Wants Your Firstborn and What To Do About It

I had no idea. But I'm curious - what about the other kids? Doesn't Satan want them, or are they basically worthless?

Burning Question Answered

Finally, someone takes on the important issues - such as which samuari film should I see?

Geek Gorgeous Likes Me!

I posted a while back about the Geek Gorgeous calendar. I also sent an email to the creator because I thought the whole idea was pretty cool. And she put my response at the top of a list of positive feedback on the site's news page. Sweet.

Marilyn Revisited

The difficulty some people have discerning Monroe's intelligence as an actress seems rooted in the ideology of a repressive era, when superfeminine women weren't supposed to be smart. They often fail to see past the sexist cliches she used as armor, satirically and otherwise, fail to notice that she was also positing a utopian view of sex, one that was relatively guilt free and blissfully pleasure oriented -- something entirely new for that period.

Jonathan Rosenbaum reveals Marilyn Monroe's true legacy. True, I definitely prefer the whip-smart brunettes, like Jane Russell in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes - but there's a strong and dangerous undertone to Monroe's character that proves her iconic dumb blonde a very different creature.

Quick Note to Trolls and Other Undesirables

I didn't think it was necessary to spell this out, but apparently it is. This is my personal blog. I write in part for the benefit of friends I am not able to talk to and see on a regular basis anymore, but mostly I write it as a personal journal of my thoughts. This is what blogging has always been to me. The only difference now is that more people have access to it, which I have discovered is not always a good thing.

I welcome new ideas, comments, and constructive criticism. I don't welcome personal attacks, and I don't honestly see any reason whatsoever to make them. It's ridiculous to judge me solely on the basis of a weblog, which by no means represents the whole of my life and situation. The details I share I do trustingly, for the people I know will appreciate it in my own context. Don't leave childish anonymous comments on my website if you have a problem with something. Either talk to me directly and openly about it, or simply leave and don't come back. No one is forcing you to go to a website you don't like or understand.

Rand Says

There is a fundamental conviction, which some people never acquire, some hold only in their youth and a few hold to the end of their days - the conviction that ideas matter. In one's youth that conviction is experienced as a self-evident absolute, and one is unable fully to believe that there are people who do not share it. That ideas matter means that knowledge matters, that truth matters, that one's mind matters. And the radiance of that certainty, in the process of growing up, is the best aspect of youth.

Its consequence is the inability to believe in the power of the triumph of evil. No matter what corruption one observes in one's immediate background, one is unable to accept it as normal, permanent or metaphysically right. One feels: 'This injustice (or terror or falsehood or frustration or pain or agony) is the exception in life, not the rule.' One feels certain that somewhere on earth - even if not anywhere in one's surroundings or within one's reach - a proper, human way of life is possible to human beings, and justice matters . . . And if justice matters, then one fights for it: one speaks out - in the unnamed certainty that someone, somewhere will understand.

One of those times Ayn Rand gets it exactly right.

Think About It

John wants Justin Timberlake [laughs]. Isn't that hilarious? Sometimes I think he's joking, but sometimes I think he's for real. I think he really feels that Justin Timberlake can do it.

So sayeth director Penelope Spheeris. The John in question is, of course, the Sex Pistols' Johnny Rotten. I'm sure a portrayal by Timberlake would definitely lay to rest any lingering doubts about Rotten and the Pistols' punk authenticity.