one · of · them · "friends" · pages

Book: The Kindness of Strangers: The Abandonment of Children in Western Europe from Late Antiquity to the Renaissance, by John Boswell

Before there was TVtropes (though not, of course, before tropes), Boswell wondered if Doorstop Babies were common in myth and legend because they are like quicksand or like divorce. Quicksand is rare in reality, but fascinating and convenient for fiction, so it shows up in stories a lot. Divorce is also common in fiction (especially "literature") -- but, if anything, even *more* common in real life.

Boswell marshals evidence showing that abandoned children were one of the fundamental facts of life from the classical though the modern period in Europe, though the exact ways and means varied in different periods.

Required reading for anyone who wants to abandon a fictional child.

This entry was originally posted at http://mecurtin.dreamwidth.org/133437.html. There are comments there for this post.

Puzzle: Reflections on Pelican Harbour.

This entry was originally posted at http://mecurtin.dreamwidth.org/133321.html. There are comments there for this post.

Can you think of examples where the script as actually shot was a good script, but movie overall was bad (due to directing, acting, cheezy FX, editing, whatever). This does not count the many many movies that go through a Good Script phase, before it dissapears in a cloud of revisions, re-writesm and cuts. No, the script *as used* was good, yet the movie was not.

This entry was originally posted at http://mecurtin.dreamwidth.org/132977.html. There are comments there for this post.

If you were going to be in NYC tomorrow, especially but not limited to midtown and the Upper East Side, and you wanted to buy boots that (a) fit wide feet, (b) are not too tall (thick calves), (c) have low heels, and (d) do not cost the earth, is there any place in particular you'd shop?

This entry was originally posted at http://mecurtin.dreamwidth.org/132784.html. There are comments there for this post.

There's got to be a technical term for this sort of thing: where you start doing/looking at something, and some aspect works, and so you put in more of that, and a cycle of habituation/positive feedback takes over? Like, say, you're drawing muscular superheroes, but you want them to look *more* superheroic, and before you know it, Rob Liefield. And the terrorists have won.

What is it *called*?!?

This entry was originally posted at http://mecurtin.dreamwidth.org/132545.html. There are comments there for this post.

With this and xkcd, I guess I'm about set with references for my dissertation.

Book: Hogfather.

This entry was originally posted at http://mecurtin.dreamwidth.org/132159.html. There are comments there for this post.

ROB REVIEW
NO PRE HYPE I forgot
Punisher 12 love the plot but I HAVE problems recommending it because this story has a strange paradox. You only get the full effect if you KNOW YOUR Marvel. I DO But knowing what I know a lot of this story and ALL the art just feel off. TONY Moore is a good artist but I don’t like pointless redesigns Morbus scared the crap out of me as a kid. More’s Morbius could use a sandwitch still I LIKE where I THINK this is going

POSSIBLE spoiler


I THINK the main bad guy is BLOODSTONE. Bloodstone the guy whose like the punisher age 1 million.
Doctor voodoo orgin THE First 3 brother voodoos
A lot of online critics can’t get past how 1970s the writing is. Once again children I’m sorry but time exists. IT is 1970s writing and oh my god there’s a third person narration and no hulk-sex!” But Len Wien created one hell of a character with a good reason to be a superhero “Pardon me but my brother’s ghost wont shut up” Even if you can argue with the writing…three words Gene colon art. Nobody can argue with that
Even the rather lightweight framing device is cool. Hats off to modern marvel for printing something that basically makes everything they’ve done under jq look like monkey poo.

Puzzle: Rest on the Flight.

This entry was originally posted at http://mecurtin.dreamwidth.org/132068.html. There are comments there for this post.

Book: The Seven-Per-Cent Solution, by John H. Watson, M.D. One of my favorite works of Holmes fanfic.

This entry was originally posted at http://mecurtin.dreamwidth.org/131730.html. There are comments there for this post.

When I see this Sherlock Holmes poster:



at a distance or as a thumbnail, my first reaction is "who's the black guy?" To my eye, they've made RDJr look biracial, not just by the color balance (making him look darker and Jude Law look very pale) but also his hair, which from a distance looks almost like a 'fro.

It's very curious. I have no idea if they're doing it consciously or not, or what it might mean either way.

This entry was originally posted at http://mecurtin.dreamwidth.org/131460.html. There are comments there for this post.

The folkways of our people decree that December 25 shall be for movies and Chinese food.
( Sherlock Holmes )

This entry was originally posted at http://mecurtin.dreamwidth.org/131117.html. There are comments there for this post.

Puzzle: Unto Us a Chick Is Born.

This entry was originally posted at http://mecurtin.dreamwidth.org/130986.html. There are comments there for this post.

Book: Libyrinth, by Pearl North.

This entry was originally posted at http://mecurtin.dreamwidth.org/130769.html. There are comments there for this post.

Puzzle: From the Highlands of Korea

This entry was originally posted at http://mecurtin.dreamwidth.org/130330.html. There are comments there for this post.

Yes, it's that most special time of year --

Time for the MFING AIRING OF GRIEVANCES!!

1. You know who made War on Christmas? George Washington, that's who. So for crying out loud, Garrison Keillor, get a MFing grip. I don't want to hate you, but it may be too late.

Come back when you're campaigning to put the Eostre back in Easter.

2. Dear British writer: If John Sheppard is still an American in your story, he does not wear trainers.

3. Dear author: Commas won't bite, really! You will find them very useful for this thing we call "punctuation".

4. Why is the sga-santa fest full of Sheppard/this and Sheppard/that, but the only stories where Rodney gets any action it's with Sheppard? Maybe there's one where he actually has sex with Jennifer, but that's it.

5. Sheppard/this and Sheppard/that I can deal with, but Sheppard/Mitchell hurts my *soul*.

6. What thdancingferret has been going through.

7. What perclexed has been going through.

8. The fact that I have no money to give either of them.

9. Stories with arbitrary MPreg. If you're going to make the SGA characters into snails, *say* so. It wouldn't be the weirdest story in the fandom, after all.

10. The military-industrial-congressional complex. I especially resent being told to respect and honor people in the military for their service -- it's like being forced to tip the prison guards.

11. Everyone in the US who voted for Bush in 2004. Unless you repented, I think you are someone who sides with torturers.

12. Everyone who thinks it's reasonable to spend more than $100 million on a movie and not have a good script.

13. grumble grumble snarl crankety crank crank. hiss.

This entry was originally posted at http://mecurtin.dreamwidth.org/130137.html. There are comments there for this post.

last week I WAS explain to Adrian about the Marvel character "Cable" a long time fave of mine becuase he may well be the stupidest superhero ever. That's FUN PART HOW to make this Helish stew of a chacter cool?
she see this...

and I Say "does'nt that look like what every teenage boy want to be she said "looks gay.
IT HIT ME LIKE A TON OF BRICKS SHE'S RIGHT AND IT 20 YEARS I'VE NEVER NOTICED.
in fact here's a picture of jim the bartender down at the mint
http://www.themint.net/images/jim001.jpg you never see him the same Room with cable

Book: Call Me Joe, by Poul Anderson.

If the script for Avatar were any good, it'd be based in part on this story.

This entry was originally posted at http://mecurtin.dreamwidth.org/129869.html. There are comments there for this post.

Puzzle: Spiral crystals.

This entry was originally posted at http://mecurtin.dreamwidth.org/129736.html. There are comments there for this post.