what Dave thinks about movies, books and everything
{4/5} “Stories are wild creatures, Conor O’Malley. If you let them loose, who knows what havoc they may wreak.” A Monster Calls, released in 2016 Conor is visited, possibly in his dreams, by a tree monster who demands that he listen to 3 stories — and then tell him one. The monster’s stories are true […]
I read 3 or 4 of the Dune books many years ago, and I read 8 of them more recently. They’re worth reading — even if you feel you’re missing a few things here and there, as I did. Brian Herbert (Frank’s son) and Kevin J. Anderson also wrote a bunch of Dune prequels, which […]
{4.5/5} “He will surely attract the attention of the Second Foundationers — always assuming they exist and are indeed concerning themselves with us. And while they are attracted to him, they will, perchance, ignore us.” Foundation’s Edge by Isaac Asimov, published in 1982 It’s been 500 years of the Seldon Plan and the people of […]
{5/5} “You know, I’m not really good at saying no when I don’t want to do something. That’s usually Riki’s job so, um, yeah, totally!” Garfunkel and Oates season 1, aired in 2014 Kate and Riki do a corporate gig, but it turns out the person who hired them is quitting. Riki tries dating a […]
{5/5} “If a sizable group of human beings learned of key details of the Plan, their actions would be governed by that knowledge and would no longer be random in the meaning of the axioms of Psychohistory. In other words, they would no longer be perfectly predictable.” Second Foundation by Isaac Asimov, published in 1953 […]
{4.5/5} “Psycho-history… proved itself the most powerful instrument ever invented for the study of humanity. Without pretending to predict the actions of individual humans, it formulated definite laws capable of mathematical analysis and extrapolation to govern and predict the mass action of human groups.” Foundation and Empire by Isaac Asimov, published in 1952 The Empire […]
Here’s a sobering interview with journalist Sarah Kendzior in which she points out that things people are surprised about now were actually known months or years ago and the problem is that no one did anything about them. She has plenty of blame to throw around. “The Mafia White House”: My no-holds-barred interview on The […]
Jonathan Rauch and Benjamin Wittes at The Atlantic argue that the time has come for everyone, liberals and conservatives and everyone else, to boycott the Republican Party. They’re very clear about their reasoning: the Republican Party “has proved unable or unwilling (mostly unwilling) to block assaults by Trump and his base on the rule of […]
{4/5} “I can only see the world as it should be. And when it is not, the imperfection stands out like the nose in the middle of the face. It makes most of life unbearable, but it is useful in the detection of crime.” Murder on the Orient Express, released in 2017 Famous detective Hercule […]
I attended the DaCapo Chamber Choir’s concert titled “Reincarnations.” Leonard Enns, conductor of the choir, says the concert “touches on reasons for hope, and on the possibility of transformation where fatigue, bitterness and despair may have set in. Love and beauty remain eternal themes. In the presence of such an eternity, as expressed in our […]