Under the headline WATCHING TV FOR HOURS COULD SHORTEN YOUR LIFE, this recent article in The Press warned of the dangers of sitting in front of the TV for too long each day. It quoted a study carried out in Australia which found that people "who watched more than four hours a day had a 46 percent higher risk of death from all causes and an 80 percent increased risk for CVD-related death".
Someone wrote a letter to the editor a day or two later rightly pointing out that a) the risk of death from all causes is the same for everyone (i.e. 100%), and b) it's the lack of exercise rather than the TV watching which is the problem, and it would be just as accurate to say that reading books for hours could shorten your life.
I get a bit annoyed with people who regard television per se as some kind of evil. Yes, most of the stuff on TV is crap, but the problem lies in the way the technology is used rather than the technology itself. In other words, it's the commercial, ratings-driven model that's the problem.
Take The Wire, for example, which many people (myself included) regard as one of the best TV shows ever produced. As the show's creator, David Simon, has stated, the chances of it surviving on ratings-driven free-to-air TV were slim, so it was made for HBO, a pay-TV service. Sure enough, when the show eventually screened here in New Zealand, it was at a ridiculously late hour because Television New Zealand, despite being a state-owned broadcaster, is run according to a commercial, ratings-driven model.
I should also point out that, as I mentioned in my very first post, if it weren't for television I wouldn't have got into walking and this blog wouldn't exist, since it was after watching a documentary called The Naked Rambler on TV that the idea of walking the Nakasendo came to me.
By the way, if you're wondering what the subject of that doco is up to, well, according to this opinion piece in The Guardian (hat tip: my brother in Bhutan), he's still roaming around the UK naked and still getting arrested.
Showing posts with label The Wire. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Wire. Show all posts
Monday, 18 January 2010
Tuesday, 12 January 2010
The most challenging and entertaining game ever invented
One of the tasks I've assigned myself this year (I hesitate to use the word "resolution", since according to this article in the The Guardian, New Year's resolutions are almost doomed to failure) is to improve my chess game.
I learned to play chess (or should I say, I learned the rules of chess) as a teenager, and have played casually on and off ever since, mostly against my brother Mark and more recently against my walking buddy Erik. But I never really thought much about things like tactics or strategy, and have never read a book about chess. So the other day on my way back from the doctor's I popped into my local library and picked more or less at random from the half a dozen or so chess books on the shelf a paperback called Pandolfini's Ultimate Guide to Chess.
It turns out to have been a pretty good choice. Although it starts with the fundamentals by explaining how each piece (sorry, "unit") moves, this book is really aimed at people like me who are familiar with the basics and have played a bit of chess but are ready to turn it up a notch. It's written in a casual style and is very easy to follow.
Although there are lots of diagrams in the book illustrating the various moves, I'm finding it helpful to have a chess set beside me as I read. One problem I was faced with was how to prevent our two cats jumping up and knocking the units over. I've gotten around this so far simply by keeping the cats out of the room while I'm reading, although one possible solution (a suggestion from my brother) would be to get one of these fancy vertical chess sets.
But is all this effort really worthwhile? Isn't chess just a waste of time, like watching TV (not The Wire, of course)? Shouldn't I be spending that time doing more important things? What will I gain from improving my chess game? Perhaps Pandolfini is right, and chess is "the most challenging and entertaining game ever invented", but it's still only a game, right?
(American Rust update: Things have gone from bad to worse for our two young protagonists. One is in prison, and the other is on the road somewhere between Pennsylvania and California, practically penniless after having been robbed by a fellow freight hopper.)
I learned to play chess (or should I say, I learned the rules of chess) as a teenager, and have played casually on and off ever since, mostly against my brother Mark and more recently against my walking buddy Erik. But I never really thought much about things like tactics or strategy, and have never read a book about chess. So the other day on my way back from the doctor's I popped into my local library and picked more or less at random from the half a dozen or so chess books on the shelf a paperback called Pandolfini's Ultimate Guide to Chess.
It turns out to have been a pretty good choice. Although it starts with the fundamentals by explaining how each piece (sorry, "unit") moves, this book is really aimed at people like me who are familiar with the basics and have played a bit of chess but are ready to turn it up a notch. It's written in a casual style and is very easy to follow.
Although there are lots of diagrams in the book illustrating the various moves, I'm finding it helpful to have a chess set beside me as I read. One problem I was faced with was how to prevent our two cats jumping up and knocking the units over. I've gotten around this so far simply by keeping the cats out of the room while I'm reading, although one possible solution (a suggestion from my brother) would be to get one of these fancy vertical chess sets.
But is all this effort really worthwhile? Isn't chess just a waste of time, like watching TV (not The Wire, of course)? Shouldn't I be spending that time doing more important things? What will I gain from improving my chess game? Perhaps Pandolfini is right, and chess is "the most challenging and entertaining game ever invented", but it's still only a game, right?
(American Rust update: Things have gone from bad to worse for our two young protagonists. One is in prison, and the other is on the road somewhere between Pennsylvania and California, practically penniless after having been robbed by a fellow freight hopper.)
Monday, 28 September 2009
Of reading and watching DVDs
The three books I ordered from Amazon at the start of August arrived early (they weren't supposed to get here until September, but they turned up in mid-August), so for a while I found myself in the highly unusual (for me) position of reading three things at the same time; two of the Amazon arrivals and Nelson deMille's The Charm School, an old favourite I was in the middle of rereading when the Amazon parcel arrived.
I've since polished off the DeMille and Werner Herzog's Of Walking in Ice. The latter, an account of the film director's 1974 journey on foot from Munich to Paris, was a little disappointing. At first I found the unusual writing style refreshing. Some of Herzog's antics also brought a smile to my face. For example, at night he usually sought shelter in barns or broke into abandoned houses or deserted holiday homes, always careful to cause as little damage as possible. In one of these homes he found a partially solved crossword puzzle on a table, which he completed before leaving the next morning. Many of the descriptions (of encounters with people he met or observed along the way, and in particular of the sense of separation that often accompanied such encounters; of aspects of the slowly passing countryside; of the state of his feet and groin) I could identify with. Some, like the following, verged on the poetic.
Rescue Dawn I didn’t really enjoy. I've been a fan of Christian Bale ever since I saw him in American Psycho, but he seemed miscast in the role of Dieter Dengler, and the acting in general (or maybe it was the script) I found less than convincing. There was a so-so "making of" documentary on the DVD, which showed that Herzog (now in his mid-60s) is still a very "hands on" director who doesn't like making his actors do things he himself isn’t prepared to do, whether it be eating live insects or swimming in rapids.
Along with these Herzog movies I also rented Ed Sullivan Presents The Beatles, a two-DVD set featuring the four episodes of the Ed Sullivan Show on which The Beatles appeared in 1964 and 1965. You may recall that one of the other Amazon books I ordered was Revolution in the Head, a song-by-song analysis of all The Beatles' songs, so with this by my side I was able to read about each song as it was played on the show. Although I don’t remember ever seeing The Beatles "live" on TV as a youngster, some of the other acts they performed with on these shows definitely brought back childhood memories. There was Soupy Sales, familiar to me as a panelist on What's My Line, singing a corny song called "The Mouse". And there was Cilla Black. When I was a young boy, our whole family (perhaps with the exception of my rebellious eldest brother) would gather around the TV to watch her show, Cilla.
One thing I never knew (until reading about it in Revolution in the Head) was that that show's theme song, "Step Inside Love", was a Paul McCartney composition. In fact Cilla's connection with The Beatles was quite deep. According to Wikipedia, she started out as a cloakroom attendant at the Cavern Club in Liverpool where she used to give impromptu performances. John Lennon eventually introduced her to their manager, Brian Epstein, and persuaded him to give her an audition, where she was accompanied by The Beatles!
I still haven’t finished Revolution in the Head. When I took back the Ed Sullivan DVDs to Alice in Videoland I noticed they had The Beatles Anthology on DVD, so what I think I might do when I have some spare time (it's a five-DVD set) is hire that and read the entries for the songs as they're introduced in the documentary. This probably won’t be for a while. I started rewatching The Wire a few weeks ago, and I'm only halfway through season 3.
I've since polished off the DeMille and Werner Herzog's Of Walking in Ice. The latter, an account of the film director's 1974 journey on foot from Munich to Paris, was a little disappointing. At first I found the unusual writing style refreshing. Some of Herzog's antics also brought a smile to my face. For example, at night he usually sought shelter in barns or broke into abandoned houses or deserted holiday homes, always careful to cause as little damage as possible. In one of these homes he found a partially solved crossword puzzle on a table, which he completed before leaving the next morning. Many of the descriptions (of encounters with people he met or observed along the way, and in particular of the sense of separation that often accompanied such encounters; of aspects of the slowly passing countryside; of the state of his feet and groin) I could identify with. Some, like the following, verged on the poetic.
At the market was a boy on crutches, leaning against the wall of a house as my feet refused to cooperate anymore. With a single, brief exchange of glances we measured the degree of our relationship.Once the novelty wore off, however, the writing style (and at times the translation) became a bit off-putting. Often it was difficult to distinguish real-time events from dreams, hallucinations, and memories of past events. Take the following passage, for example, in which Herzog describes reaching the Seine.
I could swim the rest of the way. Why not swim along the Seine? I swam with a group of people who fled from New Zealand to Australia - in fact I swam in front, being the only one who knew the route already. The only chance the refugees had of escape was to swim; the distance, however, was 50 miles. I advised people to take plastic footballs with them as additional swimming aids. For those who drowned, the undertaking became legendary before it even began. After several days we reached a town in Australia; I was the first one to come ashore, and those who followed were preceded by their wristwatches, which drifted half underwater. I grabbed the watches and pulled the swimmers ashore. Great, pathetic scenes of brotherliness ensued on shore. Sylvie le Clezio was the only one among them whom I knew. When it started to rain very hard again, I wanted to seek shelter in a roofed bus stop, but there were already several people there. I hesitated before creeping over to a school for cover.Speaking of Herzog, so impressed was I with his documentary Encounters at the End of the World (which you'll remember I saw at the International Film Festival) that a week or so later I went out and hired two Herzog movies on DVD: Grizzly Man and Rescue Dawn. The former was quite amazing. Full of stunning landscapes, touching encounters with wild animals, one very strange protagonist, and the same heavily-accented, dry narration by the director that I so enjoyed in Encounters. I love it that a conspiracy theory has emerged that this documentary is in fact a fake. You can read a bit about it at IMDB.
Rescue Dawn I didn’t really enjoy. I've been a fan of Christian Bale ever since I saw him in American Psycho, but he seemed miscast in the role of Dieter Dengler, and the acting in general (or maybe it was the script) I found less than convincing. There was a so-so "making of" documentary on the DVD, which showed that Herzog (now in his mid-60s) is still a very "hands on" director who doesn't like making his actors do things he himself isn’t prepared to do, whether it be eating live insects or swimming in rapids.
Along with these Herzog movies I also rented Ed Sullivan Presents The Beatles, a two-DVD set featuring the four episodes of the Ed Sullivan Show on which The Beatles appeared in 1964 and 1965. You may recall that one of the other Amazon books I ordered was Revolution in the Head, a song-by-song analysis of all The Beatles' songs, so with this by my side I was able to read about each song as it was played on the show. Although I don’t remember ever seeing The Beatles "live" on TV as a youngster, some of the other acts they performed with on these shows definitely brought back childhood memories. There was Soupy Sales, familiar to me as a panelist on What's My Line, singing a corny song called "The Mouse". And there was Cilla Black. When I was a young boy, our whole family (perhaps with the exception of my rebellious eldest brother) would gather around the TV to watch her show, Cilla.
One thing I never knew (until reading about it in Revolution in the Head) was that that show's theme song, "Step Inside Love", was a Paul McCartney composition. In fact Cilla's connection with The Beatles was quite deep. According to Wikipedia, she started out as a cloakroom attendant at the Cavern Club in Liverpool where she used to give impromptu performances. John Lennon eventually introduced her to their manager, Brian Epstein, and persuaded him to give her an audition, where she was accompanied by The Beatles!
I still haven’t finished Revolution in the Head. When I took back the Ed Sullivan DVDs to Alice in Videoland I noticed they had The Beatles Anthology on DVD, so what I think I might do when I have some spare time (it's a five-DVD set) is hire that and read the entries for the songs as they're introduced in the documentary. This probably won’t be for a while. I started rewatching The Wire a few weeks ago, and I'm only halfway through season 3.
Tuesday, 31 March 2009
Wire star criticises UK TV drama
If you thought TVNZ's handling of The Wire was bad (the fifth and final series is finally screening here - at 12.25 in the morning!), spare a thought for UK TV viewers. The Wire is only just making its debut on terrestrial TV in the UK. We're talking season one here, which premiered in the US in 2002. To mark the occasion, Dominic West, who plays police officer Jimmy McNulty, criticises UK TV drama. The most shocking thing in the article is the revelation that West is a Brit. I had no idea.
Distance walked today: 3km
Total distance walked since Tokaido training began: 129.4km
Days left until departure: 47
Distance walked today: 3km
Total distance walked since Tokaido training began: 129.4km
Days left until departure: 47
Sunday, 8 February 2009
Re:Wired
Last year Barack Obama famously revealed that The Wire was his favourite TV programme, and that the principled ("I robs drug dealers"), shotgun-toting, gay, African-American stick-up artist Omar Little was his favourite character. Though this choice no doubt shocked conservatives, it was probably a calculated one on Obama's part. It was certainly popular. After all, almost everyone who likes The Wire likes Omar.
I'm not sure that I have a favourite character from the show. That's not because I think they're all unlikeable. Quite the contrary, in fact. Certainly, none of them is an angel, but the fact that they're so imperfect and full of contradictions makes them all seem believable and human (with the possible exception of Omar, whose superhero antics make him the least convincing character). This is unusual in television dramas, and is one of the reasons why The Wire is so good. Another is the fact that nothing (sex, violence, police work, crime) is glorified.
I do have a bit of a soft spot for Detective Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski. Maybe it's his vulnerability. Despite his advantages (he's white, and his father-in-law is a local police commander), he never seems secure, and often struggles to do what's required of him. There's a lot not to like about him. Not so much his ineptitude (one of his first acts it to accidentally shoot a wall while showing off his modified Glock, and his shooting up of his own police car in a panic is legendary within the police department), but his apparent lack of any firm principles. At one point he drunkenly pistol-whips a fourteen-year-old boy, an act that leaves the victim blinded in one eye. This seems out of character, though (even his often violent buddies, whose gung-ho attitude Prez is mirroring at the time, are shocked), and like many of his actions stems from weakness, fear and insecurity more than anything else.
I've recently finished watching season 3 of The Wire. I'd already seen all the other series, and one thing puzzled me. How did Prez, who after his initial stuff-ups discovers a talent for code-breaking and becomes an invaluable member of the Major Crimes Unit in season 2, turn into a maths teacher in season 4? Not unexpectedly, the answer was yet another act of incompetence arising from fear.
The scene was almost as gripping as the scene from season 1 in which Detective Kima Greggs was stalked and shot. Prez and another officer are out getting Chinese takeaways. They receive an emergency request for backup and rush to offer assistance. The two men split up, shots are heard, and we see Prez approaching a dead body. Prez says that he saw a gun and fired. It turns out that the dead man is a plainclothes police officer. Completely demoralized, Prez leaves the police force for good.
Although he also struggles to find his feet in the classroom, by the end of season 4 Prez has becomes a pretty competent teacher. If anything he's too good, becoming emotionally attached to some of his students and going out of his way to help them. It's interesting to note that Prez's teaching and other experiences are almost certainly based on those of The Wire's writer and co-creator Ed Burns, who served in the Baltimore Police Department for twenty years before retiring to become a teacher. He also fought in Vietnam, an experience he said was similar psychologically to teaching.
I'm not sure that I have a favourite character from the show. That's not because I think they're all unlikeable. Quite the contrary, in fact. Certainly, none of them is an angel, but the fact that they're so imperfect and full of contradictions makes them all seem believable and human (with the possible exception of Omar, whose superhero antics make him the least convincing character). This is unusual in television dramas, and is one of the reasons why The Wire is so good. Another is the fact that nothing (sex, violence, police work, crime) is glorified.
I do have a bit of a soft spot for Detective Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski. Maybe it's his vulnerability. Despite his advantages (he's white, and his father-in-law is a local police commander), he never seems secure, and often struggles to do what's required of him. There's a lot not to like about him. Not so much his ineptitude (one of his first acts it to accidentally shoot a wall while showing off his modified Glock, and his shooting up of his own police car in a panic is legendary within the police department), but his apparent lack of any firm principles. At one point he drunkenly pistol-whips a fourteen-year-old boy, an act that leaves the victim blinded in one eye. This seems out of character, though (even his often violent buddies, whose gung-ho attitude Prez is mirroring at the time, are shocked), and like many of his actions stems from weakness, fear and insecurity more than anything else.
I've recently finished watching season 3 of The Wire. I'd already seen all the other series, and one thing puzzled me. How did Prez, who after his initial stuff-ups discovers a talent for code-breaking and becomes an invaluable member of the Major Crimes Unit in season 2, turn into a maths teacher in season 4? Not unexpectedly, the answer was yet another act of incompetence arising from fear.
The scene was almost as gripping as the scene from season 1 in which Detective Kima Greggs was stalked and shot. Prez and another officer are out getting Chinese takeaways. They receive an emergency request for backup and rush to offer assistance. The two men split up, shots are heard, and we see Prez approaching a dead body. Prez says that he saw a gun and fired. It turns out that the dead man is a plainclothes police officer. Completely demoralized, Prez leaves the police force for good.
Although he also struggles to find his feet in the classroom, by the end of season 4 Prez has becomes a pretty competent teacher. If anything he's too good, becoming emotionally attached to some of his students and going out of his way to help them. It's interesting to note that Prez's teaching and other experiences are almost certainly based on those of The Wire's writer and co-creator Ed Burns, who served in the Baltimore Police Department for twenty years before retiring to become a teacher. He also fought in Vietnam, an experience he said was similar psychologically to teaching.
Saturday, 7 February 2009
Return to Northlands
Last Monday I drove over to Northlands to look for some new waterproof walking shoes. I'd been looking around town for some New Balance 965s (or the newer 966s) but hadn't seen any. I even tried the New Balance outlet store in Hornby, but without success. I bought the New Balance 748s I wore when we walked the Nakasendo at The Athlete's Foot in Northlands (I walked there on that occasion as part of my training), so I figured I'd go back there. But when I went in and enquired I was told that New Balance had reduced their lineup of walking shoes in New Zealand to just two models, and the 965 wasn't one of them.
Dispirited, I wondered through the mall, stopping at the Ticketek outlet to pick up a ticket to the Tomasz Stańko gig on 7 March. I passed a Front Runner, and decided to go in to see what they had. I was about to try on some Merrells when I spotted what looked like some 965s in the sale section. They turned out to be women's 965s, but the shop assistant reckoned they should fit me (I have small feet and often have trouble getting men's shoes in my size). They felt pretty comfortable. Plus I think they look nicer than the men's version. I actually tried on a pair of 964s (an earlier model of the same shoe) a couple of years ago and they felt stiff compared to my 748s, which put me off buying them. Although they have the exact same soles as the 748s, the uppers are made of a waterproof leather so they're not as flexible (the 748 uppers are a combination of leather and a synthetic mesh material). But the 965s weren't stiff at all, so I bought them. At $100, they were less than half the original price.
Then, as if that wasn't enough shopping for one day, as I was heading back to the car I saw a box set of season 1 of The Wire on DVD for $34.99 and snapped it up. I already have season 5 on DVD. I'm not sure if I'll get the other three seasons (which I've seen anyway, courtesy of Grant). I see a box set of all five seasons is out in the US, and selling on Amazon for US$135. That's $255 in our money, plus there'd be some hefty postage on top of that. With the NZ dollar so weak I've been holding back on Amazon purchases lately. My Wish List is growing, although I was able to cross off one item yesterday when I bought Keith Jarrett's latest release from the iTunes Store for $17.99, saving at least five dollars!
I've since worn the 965s a couple of times to the supermarket and back and so far they seem OK. I'm waiting for some decent rain so I can test them in the wet.
Dispirited, I wondered through the mall, stopping at the Ticketek outlet to pick up a ticket to the Tomasz Stańko gig on 7 March. I passed a Front Runner, and decided to go in to see what they had. I was about to try on some Merrells when I spotted what looked like some 965s in the sale section. They turned out to be women's 965s, but the shop assistant reckoned they should fit me (I have small feet and often have trouble getting men's shoes in my size). They felt pretty comfortable. Plus I think they look nicer than the men's version. I actually tried on a pair of 964s (an earlier model of the same shoe) a couple of years ago and they felt stiff compared to my 748s, which put me off buying them. Although they have the exact same soles as the 748s, the uppers are made of a waterproof leather so they're not as flexible (the 748 uppers are a combination of leather and a synthetic mesh material). But the 965s weren't stiff at all, so I bought them. At $100, they were less than half the original price.
Then, as if that wasn't enough shopping for one day, as I was heading back to the car I saw a box set of season 1 of The Wire on DVD for $34.99 and snapped it up. I already have season 5 on DVD. I'm not sure if I'll get the other three seasons (which I've seen anyway, courtesy of Grant). I see a box set of all five seasons is out in the US, and selling on Amazon for US$135. That's $255 in our money, plus there'd be some hefty postage on top of that. With the NZ dollar so weak I've been holding back on Amazon purchases lately. My Wish List is growing, although I was able to cross off one item yesterday when I bought Keith Jarrett's latest release from the iTunes Store for $17.99, saving at least five dollars!
I've since worn the 965s a couple of times to the supermarket and back and so far they seem OK. I'm waiting for some decent rain so I can test them in the wet.
Tuesday, 12 June 2007
Wireless
I finished watching the second season of The Wire last night. If you hadn't guessed by the lack of postings on the subject recently, I haven't been as enamored with it as I was with the first season. Which isn't to say it doesn't boast the same commitment to realism or isn't full of the same great, earthy characters, just that I haven't been struck with the same "shock of the new" feeling that hit me the first time around. Actually the third season is supposed to be the best. Unfortunately it isn't out on DVD here yet, and I'm not sure I can be bothered getting the region 1 version from Amazon. Next on my viewing list, by the way, is the original 1981 BBC adaptation of The Day of the Triffids, also on DVD courtesy of Grant. I seem to remember enjoying it when it screened here in the 1980s. It'll be interesting to see if it's stood the test of time. It got eight stars on the Internet Movie Database, so it can't have been too shoddy.
I bought some special blister plasters today. They're quite pricey, but I'm keen to test them out on the nascent blister on my left heel to see if it's worth taking a bunch of them when we embark on the Kisokaido Project in October.
In case you hadn't noticed, I topped the 100Km mark yesterday. I was expecting a flood of congratulatory comments...
Distance walked today: 3km
Total distance walked since blog began: 107km
I bought some special blister plasters today. They're quite pricey, but I'm keen to test them out on the nascent blister on my left heel to see if it's worth taking a bunch of them when we embark on the Kisokaido Project in October.
In case you hadn't noticed, I topped the 100Km mark yesterday. I was expecting a flood of congratulatory comments...
Distance walked today: 3km
Total distance walked since blog began: 107km
Thursday, 31 May 2007
Sunday, 27 May 2007
Preparation
Today I drove over to Grant's to borrow the second season of The Wire on DVD, and to my sister's to drop off a video. At my sister's, I took the opportunity to borrow a couple of interesting-looking novels. I'm going in for minor toe surgery tomorrow afternoon, so figured I'd better stock up on quality entertainment while I'm still relatively mobile.
Distance walked today: 0km
Total distance walked since blog began: 78.4km
Distance walked today: 0km
Total distance walked since blog began: 78.4km
Saturday, 26 May 2007
Treatise on the function of art
Some of the locals I met while traveling through Myanmar earlier in the year expressed surprise that I was traveling alone. To them, the idea that someone might want to travel on their own was more than odd, it was downright incomprehensible. Eager to understand, one waiter at a hotel actually asked me point blank, "Don't you have any friends or family who wanted to come with you?" Talk about making someone feel lonely.
There are advantages in traveling alone. The most obvious one is that you can go where you want when you want. But another advantage is that you actually end up meeting more people if you're by yourself because you're more likely to be approached by locals or other travelers. As for the disadvantages, one of the biggest ones is that you don't have anyone to share your experiences with. You can compensate by taking photos or video and showing them to people when you get home, but it's not the same as having someone there by your side whom you can turn to and say, "Wow, isn't that sunset amazing," or, "Have you ever seen so many temples?"
It's been a bit like that watching The Wire. I've been watching it on my own because, well, it's not really Keiko's cup of tea, plus she wouldn't understand a lot of the more "esoteric" dialogue (heck, even I have to turn on the English subtitles from time to time to work out what people are saying). It's a pity, because the series is so good, and some of the scenes so perfectly realized (e.g. one drug dealer explaining to another the rules of chess in terms of the workings of a drug-dealing gang, and a crime scene analysis in which two detectives communicate using nothing but variations of the F-word as they methodically go about their work) that I desperately want to share the viewing experience with someone. So much so that from time to time I find myself composing little internal monologues in which I'm expressing my thoughts to an imaginary co-watcher.
Erik and I were talking about the function of art the other day, and I brought this up because I think this desire to share our most meaningful experiences with others, which is perhaps connected to the desire to reassure ourselves that we are not alone in the world, is somehow linked to the desire to create art. Sure, art is about satisfying our creative urge, but if that were the only reason for making art, then there wouldn't be such an emphasis on showing it to others, whether it be by hanging it in art galleries, spraypainting it on walls, or having friends over to our house to watch it on TV.
Years ago, one of my lecturers at university said something to the effect that the best novelists connect with readers by describing feelings, ideas or situations that are universal, that help define what it means to be human. So is this what all art is about? I while back I sought to challenge the suggestion that art was solely about the pursuit of beauty by pointing to the Sex Pistols. So perhaps a more important question would be, Is there art that isn't produced out of a desire to connect with others by expressing feelings, ideas or experiences that we think others might share? Send your answers on the back of a postcard. Or you could try the comments section.
Distance walked today: 0km
Total distance walked since blog began: 78.4km
There are advantages in traveling alone. The most obvious one is that you can go where you want when you want. But another advantage is that you actually end up meeting more people if you're by yourself because you're more likely to be approached by locals or other travelers. As for the disadvantages, one of the biggest ones is that you don't have anyone to share your experiences with. You can compensate by taking photos or video and showing them to people when you get home, but it's not the same as having someone there by your side whom you can turn to and say, "Wow, isn't that sunset amazing," or, "Have you ever seen so many temples?"
It's been a bit like that watching The Wire. I've been watching it on my own because, well, it's not really Keiko's cup of tea, plus she wouldn't understand a lot of the more "esoteric" dialogue (heck, even I have to turn on the English subtitles from time to time to work out what people are saying). It's a pity, because the series is so good, and some of the scenes so perfectly realized (e.g. one drug dealer explaining to another the rules of chess in terms of the workings of a drug-dealing gang, and a crime scene analysis in which two detectives communicate using nothing but variations of the F-word as they methodically go about their work) that I desperately want to share the viewing experience with someone. So much so that from time to time I find myself composing little internal monologues in which I'm expressing my thoughts to an imaginary co-watcher.
Erik and I were talking about the function of art the other day, and I brought this up because I think this desire to share our most meaningful experiences with others, which is perhaps connected to the desire to reassure ourselves that we are not alone in the world, is somehow linked to the desire to create art. Sure, art is about satisfying our creative urge, but if that were the only reason for making art, then there wouldn't be such an emphasis on showing it to others, whether it be by hanging it in art galleries, spraypainting it on walls, or having friends over to our house to watch it on TV.
Years ago, one of my lecturers at university said something to the effect that the best novelists connect with readers by describing feelings, ideas or situations that are universal, that help define what it means to be human. So is this what all art is about? I while back I sought to challenge the suggestion that art was solely about the pursuit of beauty by pointing to the Sex Pistols. So perhaps a more important question would be, Is there art that isn't produced out of a desire to connect with others by expressing feelings, ideas or experiences that we think others might share? Send your answers on the back of a postcard. Or you could try the comments section.
Distance walked today: 0km
Total distance walked since blog began: 78.4km
Friday, 25 May 2007
Warning: may contain spoilers
Crikey. I can't remember the last time I was so moved by the near death of a fictional character. Last night, I watched helplessly as Detective Kima Greggs was gunned down during a botched sting operation against the Barksdale crime syndicate. I kind of saw it coming, but at the same time I was willing it not to happen. Even after watching the two would-be assassins move in on the vehicle in which Greggs was waiting along with the hapless Orlando and open fire, I hoped against hope that as Orlando was sitting in the front seat he would have borne the brunt of the assault and Greggs would have been spared. It was a cliffhanger ending, the first time the makers of The Wire had resorted to such a cliché, and the fact that they didn't show her body told me she must have survived. Still, that didn't stop me putting on the next episode and watching for another hour to see how she was, despite the fact that it was well past my normal bedtime.
There was no such drama on Wednesday night when I read in The Game of War about the death of Guy Debord, also the victim of a gun assault, but in his case self-administered. Whatever the circumstances, it's always tragic when someone takes their own life, although it had all been foreshadowed at the start of the book, and an argument made that it was inevitable given Debord's fascination as a youth with the Surrealists, who asked themselves the question, "We live, we die. Where is the function of the will in all that?" and in many cases chose suicide as the answer.
Distance walked today: 0km
Total distance walked since blog began: 78.4km
There was no such drama on Wednesday night when I read in The Game of War about the death of Guy Debord, also the victim of a gun assault, but in his case self-administered. Whatever the circumstances, it's always tragic when someone takes their own life, although it had all been foreshadowed at the start of the book, and an argument made that it was inevitable given Debord's fascination as a youth with the Surrealists, who asked themselves the question, "We live, we die. Where is the function of the will in all that?" and in many cases chose suicide as the answer.
Distance walked today: 0km
Total distance walked since blog began: 78.4km
Tuesday, 22 May 2007
Hooked
Sometimes there just isn't enough time to do all the things I want to do, or have to do, in a single day. Inevitably something gets left undone. It's frustrating, but still a lot more satisfying than filling in time doing things I don't really want to do, or worse still, sitting around trying to think of ways to fill in time, which is something I've ended up doing all too often in my life.
So yesterday I got up at around 8.00, breakfasted, read the paper, showered, bathed my toe, and worked from 9.30 to 11.30. I then made lunch, watched a bit of baseball (go the Yankees!), chatted briefly with my brother in Bhutan, then worked for another couple of hours from 1.00. At 3.00 it was time for my weekly Skype session with Erik. We talked for an hour about the Kisokaido Project, the Situationists, old girlfriends, the function of art, Erik's burgeoning career as an artist, and the digestive system of pandas. After that I did another burst of work until 5.00, when I started making dinner. Keiko got home and we ate at around 5.30 and watched TV for a bit until it was time for Keiko to go to her yoga class. Between 7.00 and 8.30 I read a few chapters of The Game of War and watched an episode of The Wire. I then watched a bit of Sumo until 9.00. After that it was more reading until Kaido Tekuteku Tabi at 9.45, followed by another episode of The Wire and a few more chapters of The Game of War before bed at 11.30.
I usually try to blog either during a break from work during the day or between finishing work and making dinner, but work is pretty busy at the moment, and yesterday I was just too rushed. I could have done it later, but I have this rule that I don't work in the evening, and for some reason (probably because it involves the same routine of walking into my office and concentrating in front of the computer for an extended period of time) I unconsciously place blogging in the same category as work. Plus I'm getting so much satisfaction out of reading The Game of War and watching The Wire that I want to spend as much of my free time as possible doing these two things at the moment.
I have the DVD of the first season of The Wire courtesy of Grant. With the exception of comedies like The Apprentice and The Amazing Race (obligatory mention of dubious New Zealand connection: hosted by Christchurch-born Phil Keoghan), I'm not a great fan of U.S. television, and the thought of watching an entire series of some cop show on DVD didn't appeal to me at first. Even Grant's description of The Wire as "television as art" didn't convince me. Probably because I've doubted his judgment ever since he told me how much he enjoyed Titanic. But I relented and popped the DVD on the other day when I had a moment to spare, and I've been hooked ever since.
Critics have called The Wire "the best show on television". It's also been described as realistic, novelistic, and "somewhat angry". Television audiences haven't been so kind, with ratings failing to match those of other cop shows like The Sopranos. Some critics felt The Wire was testing the attention span of its audience, but I love the complex characters and slowly drawn-out plots. And the acting, by a mostly African-American cast reflecting the demographics of Baltimore where the series is set, is top notch. Television as art? Maybe. Television as great entertainment? Definitely.
Distance walked today: 0km
Total distance walked since blog began: 78.4km
So yesterday I got up at around 8.00, breakfasted, read the paper, showered, bathed my toe, and worked from 9.30 to 11.30. I then made lunch, watched a bit of baseball (go the Yankees!), chatted briefly with my brother in Bhutan, then worked for another couple of hours from 1.00. At 3.00 it was time for my weekly Skype session with Erik. We talked for an hour about the Kisokaido Project, the Situationists, old girlfriends, the function of art, Erik's burgeoning career as an artist, and the digestive system of pandas. After that I did another burst of work until 5.00, when I started making dinner. Keiko got home and we ate at around 5.30 and watched TV for a bit until it was time for Keiko to go to her yoga class. Between 7.00 and 8.30 I read a few chapters of The Game of War and watched an episode of The Wire. I then watched a bit of Sumo until 9.00. After that it was more reading until Kaido Tekuteku Tabi at 9.45, followed by another episode of The Wire and a few more chapters of The Game of War before bed at 11.30.
I usually try to blog either during a break from work during the day or between finishing work and making dinner, but work is pretty busy at the moment, and yesterday I was just too rushed. I could have done it later, but I have this rule that I don't work in the evening, and for some reason (probably because it involves the same routine of walking into my office and concentrating in front of the computer for an extended period of time) I unconsciously place blogging in the same category as work. Plus I'm getting so much satisfaction out of reading The Game of War and watching The Wire that I want to spend as much of my free time as possible doing these two things at the moment.
I have the DVD of the first season of The Wire courtesy of Grant. With the exception of comedies like The Apprentice and The Amazing Race (obligatory mention of dubious New Zealand connection: hosted by Christchurch-born Phil Keoghan), I'm not a great fan of U.S. television, and the thought of watching an entire series of some cop show on DVD didn't appeal to me at first. Even Grant's description of The Wire as "television as art" didn't convince me. Probably because I've doubted his judgment ever since he told me how much he enjoyed Titanic. But I relented and popped the DVD on the other day when I had a moment to spare, and I've been hooked ever since.
Critics have called The Wire "the best show on television". It's also been described as realistic, novelistic, and "somewhat angry". Television audiences haven't been so kind, with ratings failing to match those of other cop shows like The Sopranos. Some critics felt The Wire was testing the attention span of its audience, but I love the complex characters and slowly drawn-out plots. And the acting, by a mostly African-American cast reflecting the demographics of Baltimore where the series is set, is top notch. Television as art? Maybe. Television as great entertainment? Definitely.
Distance walked today: 0km
Total distance walked since blog began: 78.4km
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