Quick show of hands who here knows anything about cricket? Anybody? What about you in the back? Well whether you raised a hand or not you probably could handle a cricket bat as well as the subject of today’s A Writer’s Tale. I’m sure many of you are familiar with J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan (or at least are familiar with Johnny Deep playing Barrie creating Peter Pan in Finding Neverland). What you are most likely not familiar with is Barrie’s lifelong obsession with the sport of cricket and the story of his amateur cricket team the Allahakbarries. Now if that…
Month: May 2015
Subtitle Subversive- Okuribito
One my goals with this Subtitles Subversives series is to examine films that are not only excellent but give insight into a culture that you and I might not otherwise have. Something powerful that takes us far away from Hollywood and its studios. Okuribito is just such a film. Titled “Departures” for western audiences Okuribito is a film about life disguising itself as a film about death. The movie follows Daigo Kobayashi (Masahiro Motoki) as he gives up his dream of being cellist and returns to his hometown with his wife. Needing to find work Daigo answers an ad for…
Meanwhile in Countries Not Named America- Civil War in Yemen
The world is a big place. With over 7 billion people divided among nearly 200 nations it’s easy to see how even the most well informed of individuals may not be aware of everything that is currently happening in our world. One of the goals of Meanwhile in Countries Not Named America is to select issues of importance and brief my readers in such a way that they are at least generally aware of the players and principles involved. With global attention tied up in the future of the EU, tensions in the Ukraine, President Obama’s Trans-Pacific Trade agreement, and…
World Building 101: Religion
Hey there! Welcome back to World Building 101 where I take a look at the steps and layers needed to create a successful fantasy or science fiction universe. Previously I talked about Mythology and the importance it plays in laying out the groundwork for your society. Today I’d like to take a look at an element that is tightly connected to mythology and is just if not more important to the shaping of your fledgling world: Religion. As I stated last time it’s easy for many people to get these two things confused. Some people think that mythologies are just…
Science! For Parties!: The Leidenfrost Effect
Ever been on a date and wanted to bust out the double whammy of impressing your dinner companion with your cooking skills and your science knowledge? Then you’re in luck because today’s Science! For Parties! is going to teach you how to do just that. As always don’t try this at home without a sober adult present. Take whatever pan you feel like it and place it on you stove. Turn the stove on high and let the pan heat up. You’ll want to give it at least a few minutes as the cooking surface of the pan will need…
Wily Wordplay- Opening Lines
It’s Monday here at the Eclectic Eccentric and the start of the work week for most of you out in the world so I thought as a little bit of extra motivation for both you and for me I would share some of my favorite opening lines in all of literature in this month’s edition of Wily Wordplay. As always the quotes are in no particular order. Enjoy! “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”- Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina “It was a queer, sultry summer, the summer they electrocuted the Rosenbergs, and I…
We Can Do That Now: Neurogaming
It’s been a while since we’ve checked in with the world of Science! here at the Eclectic Eccentric and a recent conversation got me jazzed to jump back into it with a new installment of We Can Do That Now! Where I discuss something incredibly cool: Neurogaming. Something so cutting edge spellcheck is telling me it’s not a word. I’m gonna go ahead and interpret that as a sign that I should start with a definition. What is Neurogaming? Well it’s a cutting edge branch of the videogame industry that seeks to use Brain Control Interfaces (BCIs) to create comprehensive…
Reflections
Late last night I ended up in three simultaneous text message exchanges with friends who were struggling with both their literal and figurative places in this world. This convergence was a rather rare occurrence for me. While I’m always available to my friends I’m not much of a texter so when three separate 4am conversations occur on the same night I tend to sit up and take notice. Which is why today I’m going to forego my typical type of post and instead reflect a bit about life and our relationship to the world around us. After all knowledge without…
Troping the Riff- Mistaken Identity
Hello there it’s time for Troping the Riff with me The Eclectic Eccentric. Or is it. After all you’ve never met The Eclectic Eccentric and you have no idea if he’s the one typing these words or not. I could just be pretending to be him. I’ll tell you what I’ll be on the corner of Frenchmen and Esplanade in New Orleans on May 15th at 5:00 pm and you can find out for sure. How will you know it’s me? I’ll be wearing a black polo. Hopefully I’m the only one otherwise you might mistake me for someone else…
Character Study- Susan Vance
There are many shining examples of the screwball comedy but only Bringing Up Baby ever managed to team up Howard Hawkes, Cary Grant, and Kathrine Hepburn. In what is undoubtedly the greatest movie ever to feature a leopard as a central plot point Kathrine Hepburn shines as Susan Vance, daffy fast-talking heiress extraordinaire. Or at least that’s my opinion. Hepburn’s role in this film is a surprisingly divisive one. Some find her character over the top and grating. Some find her to be a quick-witted icon for women the world over. And some people think she’s just a funny actress…