I read the news today, oh boy ...
Thursday, 24 May, 2007
I need to get some of these things out of my inbox. But it's hard to let go of these random thoughts. A blog is as good a place as any to dump them so here they are.
- Freakonomics: Laid-back labour: Oops! Forgot you need to be subscribed to the New York Times to view that one. Ben sent it to me because it was about knitting and how people will spend hours knitting a scarf which, in dollar terms, would probably cost $150 if you calculated the labour and materials. Something else about the article distracted me though—I just thought it was rather sad that the number of pianos that were sold dropped so much with the advent of radio, CDs, iPods and the like. So instead of people learning how to make music in order to listen to music, people can now just listen to music. The down side (in my mind) is that recordings give you pretty much perfection every time which is a pretty powerful discentive to learning given how terrible you sound along the way. But perhaps I am too cynical.
- Spunky Nancy Drew Faces Her Hardest Case: Hollywood: Another New York Times article—this time about the movie adaptations of the Nancy Drew books. I never liked Nancy Drew but I don't think I was entirely fair on her because I read just one book and it was further on in the series. I thought it lacked character. Perhaps the earlier books were better. Anyways, I always preferred Trixie Belden who had this awesome family of super cool brothers, a best friend named Honey and a guy who had a crush on her. Getting back on track, this article interested me because of what they decided to do to Nancy Drew to bring her to a contemporary audience without alienating the three or four generations of fans who grew up with the books. It was interesting that they decided to retain the blue roadster but make her a blonde (which is what she was originally) and dress her in old-fashioned clothing (“I like old-fashioned things!” she says). I probably won't go see it at the cinema though. (Incidentally, Guan says a good adaptation is one that doesn't make you go, “Huh? Why did that do that?” He didn't really like V for Vendetta whereas I loved it.)
- Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Marriage But Were Afraid to Ask Stephanie Coontz: Found this one via Craig. Notice what it says about children of divorce:
11. True or False: Divorce hurts kids.
True. Divorce approximately doubles the risk of long-term permanent damage to children (E. Mavis Hetherington and John Kelly, 2002, For Better or For Worse: Divorce Reconsidered). And even kids who are not damaged are often hurt. In Between Two Worlds: The Inner Lives of Children of Divorce, Elizabeth Marquardt reports the results of a nationally representative survey: 64 percent of children of divorce agreed that “it was stressful in my family,” compared to just 25 percent of children raised in intact married homes. Children of divorce were four times as likely as children from intact families to agree, “I love my father, but I don't respect him.” They are also almost eight times as likely to disagree with the statement “My father taught me clearly the difference between right and wrong.” Fifty-one percent of children of divorce agree that “There are things my father has done that I find hard to forgive,” compared to 19 percent of children in intact families. Forty-four percent of children of divorce agree that “I was alone a lot as a child,” compared to 14 percent of children from intact families. Only 44 percent of children of divorce strongly agree that “I generally felt emotionally safe” as a child, compared to 79 percent of adults who were children in intact families.
- Crime writer testifies about cyberstalking ordeal: Patricial Cornwell got cyberstalked. I know it shouldn't be surprising but it's still sad that humanity's biggest problem is just as evident in the virtual world as it is in the real. I hope this never happens to me.
- From geek to Grisham: They're starting to make blooks out of blogs. It's kind of disturbing ...
And finally, that thing I was mulling over with regard to applications of the talks at EQUIP I did end up blogging about over at CHN.
Blinks:
A way of funding writing in the future: pitch and idea and get people to support it.
Place where you can hire play equipment for parties, etc.
How to recalibrate the home button on your iPhone.
Unsolicited manuscripts accepted by Pan Macmillan with certain conditions.
Thought Balloon is a group blog in which the writers tackle a new theme every week? month? with one-page scripts. This URL is for their Phonogram ones.
How to sew a zipper on a knitted garment.
Issues organised by tale.
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You know, I think your point on applications is ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT…
it is probably even more pronounced at a women’s convention, because women respond so well to GUILT.
But it is a cheap trick and should be avoided!
Wow! Thanks, Michael!