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Social-Ecological Systems in Transition
Book
This book presents an overview of current knowledge about social-ecological systems (SESs), a...
American Burke: The Uncommon Liberalism of Daniel Patrick Moynihan
Book
Daniel Patrick Moynihan (1927-2003) may be best known as a statesman. He served in the...
The Social Life of Money
Book
Questions about the nature of money have gained a new urgency in the aftermath of the global...
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated The creator (2023) in Movies
Sep 28, 2023
Taken from the pages of today’s headlines; “The Creator” presents a fresh yet complicated look at A.I. and how it may play into the future.
Director Gareth Edwards presents a future where A.I. has evolved to be incorporated into all aspects of society ranging from medical to production and the military.
When a deadly attack hits Los Angeles, the United States declares war on A.I. units and not only bans them but looks to hunt down and eliminate all units worldwide.
This causes an issue with the Asian Block where A.I. units are manufactured and actively incorporated into society with zero prejudice or concerns.
Joshua (John David Washington), sits out the conflict in Asia content with his wife and the pending birth of their child. When a U.S. raid arrives it is revealed that Joshua is actually undercover for the military and his wife sees this as a betrayal and flees with her allies and A.I. units but is killed in the process.
Years later Joshua is recruited to take part in a raid to eliminate the person behind the A.I. and take out the new weapon they have reportedly constructed. Unwilling at first; Joshua is convinced by the possibility that his wife survived the attack.
During the raid, it is revealed that the weapon is a robotic child Joshua named Alphie (Madeline Yuna Voyles) and Joshua is forced to flee with Alphie and in doing so; has divided loyalties as his focus is to find his wife despite the U.S. forces in hot pursuit and destroying all the communities with A.I. they encounter.
While parts of the film do tend to run a bit long; the cast is top-rate and the film provides an interesting debate on A.I. and its use in society and does so with a solid amount of action in the process.
4 stars out of 5
Director Gareth Edwards presents a future where A.I. has evolved to be incorporated into all aspects of society ranging from medical to production and the military.
When a deadly attack hits Los Angeles, the United States declares war on A.I. units and not only bans them but looks to hunt down and eliminate all units worldwide.
This causes an issue with the Asian Block where A.I. units are manufactured and actively incorporated into society with zero prejudice or concerns.
Joshua (John David Washington), sits out the conflict in Asia content with his wife and the pending birth of their child. When a U.S. raid arrives it is revealed that Joshua is actually undercover for the military and his wife sees this as a betrayal and flees with her allies and A.I. units but is killed in the process.
Years later Joshua is recruited to take part in a raid to eliminate the person behind the A.I. and take out the new weapon they have reportedly constructed. Unwilling at first; Joshua is convinced by the possibility that his wife survived the attack.
During the raid, it is revealed that the weapon is a robotic child Joshua named Alphie (Madeline Yuna Voyles) and Joshua is forced to flee with Alphie and in doing so; has divided loyalties as his focus is to find his wife despite the U.S. forces in hot pursuit and destroying all the communities with A.I. they encounter.
While parts of the film do tend to run a bit long; the cast is top-rate and the film provides an interesting debate on A.I. and its use in society and does so with a solid amount of action in the process.
4 stars out of 5
Ivana A. | Diary of Difference (1171 KP) rated Uglies (Uglies, #1) in Books
Nov 26, 2018
Full review can also be found on www.diaryofdifference.com
A world where you are an ugly until your sixteenth birthday.
And then, you undergo a surgery and you become pretty. And life is perfect. Except, maybe, it isn’t.
This is one of those books where you visualise a world in so many details, and feel like you’ve lived there all your life. Also a book that captures society for what really is. A very pleasant and enjoyable read.
I received this book as a birthday gift. Have a look at my birthday book haul on my blog.
Uglies is the first book from the series by Scott Westerfeld. A dystopian world about ”uglies” and ”pretties”. A world in which society is split between beauty. A place where the ”uglies” are separated from the real world until they do a surgery and become pretties. Then, they grow up and join the world of pretties, where they are allowed to do everything they weren’t allowed before. They attend parties and have fun, and they don’t worry about anything.
Tally is about to turn sixteen, and she can’t wait to become pretty. All her friends have already turned pretty before her, and she is excited to join them in this marvellous world. But just weeks before her birthday, she becomes friends with Shay, who is not so sure whether she wants to become a pretty.
When her friend runs away and escapes the operation, Tally has a choice: find Shay and bring her back, or never turn pretty at all. And when Tally goes after Shay, she discovers that the world she believed in, might not be the real one…
I absolutely loved this book with all my heart. A beautiful world forming, an interesting scenario, great plot and interesting characters. I enjoyed reading about the world, how the author put the society together, and how it all worked out.
The characters were not as engaging as I would hope them to be. Even though you felt for them, you couldn’t connect a lot. Just a little bit, enough to make you wonder what will happen next. It was enough for me to keep turning page after page in the middle of the night.
The world the author created and the way the society works in this book is incredible. The ”uglies” and ”pretties” subject will always be matter of a discussion. And at the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter if your face has imperfections. It doesn’t matter how you look like. People love other people for who they are inside out, for the friendships, for the moments spent together, and for how they make them feel.
Another thing I loved was the subject of protecting the nature. I loved the little moments and theories of destroying a certain plant for a better tomorrow for all the rest of the plants.
‘’Nature, at least, didn’t need an operation to be beautiful. It just was.’’
An amazing book, a world where you can visualise every single detail, even though you’ve never been there. A dystopian society and a battle between brains and beauty. I enjoyed it so much and I can’t wait to read the rest of the series.
I strongly recommend it to all of you, my friends!
A question for you all – Would you do the pretty surgery or not?
A world where you are an ugly until your sixteenth birthday.
And then, you undergo a surgery and you become pretty. And life is perfect. Except, maybe, it isn’t.
This is one of those books where you visualise a world in so many details, and feel like you’ve lived there all your life. Also a book that captures society for what really is. A very pleasant and enjoyable read.
I received this book as a birthday gift. Have a look at my birthday book haul on my blog.
Uglies is the first book from the series by Scott Westerfeld. A dystopian world about ”uglies” and ”pretties”. A world in which society is split between beauty. A place where the ”uglies” are separated from the real world until they do a surgery and become pretties. Then, they grow up and join the world of pretties, where they are allowed to do everything they weren’t allowed before. They attend parties and have fun, and they don’t worry about anything.
Tally is about to turn sixteen, and she can’t wait to become pretty. All her friends have already turned pretty before her, and she is excited to join them in this marvellous world. But just weeks before her birthday, she becomes friends with Shay, who is not so sure whether she wants to become a pretty.
When her friend runs away and escapes the operation, Tally has a choice: find Shay and bring her back, or never turn pretty at all. And when Tally goes after Shay, she discovers that the world she believed in, might not be the real one…
I absolutely loved this book with all my heart. A beautiful world forming, an interesting scenario, great plot and interesting characters. I enjoyed reading about the world, how the author put the society together, and how it all worked out.
The characters were not as engaging as I would hope them to be. Even though you felt for them, you couldn’t connect a lot. Just a little bit, enough to make you wonder what will happen next. It was enough for me to keep turning page after page in the middle of the night.
The world the author created and the way the society works in this book is incredible. The ”uglies” and ”pretties” subject will always be matter of a discussion. And at the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter if your face has imperfections. It doesn’t matter how you look like. People love other people for who they are inside out, for the friendships, for the moments spent together, and for how they make them feel.
Another thing I loved was the subject of protecting the nature. I loved the little moments and theories of destroying a certain plant for a better tomorrow for all the rest of the plants.
‘’Nature, at least, didn’t need an operation to be beautiful. It just was.’’
An amazing book, a world where you can visualise every single detail, even though you’ve never been there. A dystopian society and a battle between brains and beauty. I enjoyed it so much and I can’t wait to read the rest of the series.
I strongly recommend it to all of you, my friends!
A question for you all – Would you do the pretty surgery or not?
JT (287 KP) rated Joker (2019) in Movies
Mar 10, 2020
This is the film of the year for me. A comic book adaptation like no other. Thought-provoking and difficult to watch it conveys more than just the transformation from abnormal loner to one of the greatest comic villains ever. Joaquin Phoenix’s performance goes some way to matching the psychotic heights of Heath Ledger’s incarnation in The Dark Knight. Ledger was posthumously awarded an Oscar for that performance and I would expect Phoenix to be front and centre when award season comes around.
Arthur Fleck is a clown for hire. Scraping to make ends meet while looking after his ailing mother (Frances Conroy) he has ambitions of making it as a stand-up comedian. Sadly his narcissistic personality and uncontrollable fits of laughter (through no fault of his own) make him a target for society. Gotham City is an unforgiving place and for Arthur, it is a constant struggle of acceptance. He’s belittled and beaten down at every turn and he’s not strong enough to fight back. The bruises on his skeletal frame are a testament to this. He’s an awkward character not least because his quiet personality simmers beneath someone ready to explode – and explode he does.
A comic book adaptation like no other it’s thought-provoking and difficult to watch
But Arthur is sick. That much is clear. Society no longer wants to help. As a result, his social worker explains that the city has cut all funding and the facility and access to his medication he relies on will stop – “All I have are negative thoughts,” he says. When the brutality takes a serious turn he unwittingly becomes a figurehead for Gotham’s society. The clown is a symbol of defiance. Fighting against the rich, of all people Thomas Wayne, who is running for Mayor. Wayne becomes wrapped up in a storyline that brings Arthur together with a familiar young face.
The strong comparisons to Taxi Driver are unavoidable, but there is a definite Scorsese feel to the film. The casting of Robert De Niro as talk show host Murray Franklin is almost a direct nod to King of Comedy in which De Niro stalks and kidnaps his idol to take the spotlight for himself. Here it’s Arthur who lovingly worships Murray. The build up to the clown prince of crime is worth the wait as the transformation builds up to a frenetic and gruesome final act.
One of the biggest takeaways from Joker is its focus on mental illness. Arthur’s battered notebook is not only a journal for his jokes but for his dark thoughts. This is a topic that will hit close to home for many people who might experience similar, with an outward animosity to society.
Arthur Fleck is a clown for hire. Scraping to make ends meet while looking after his ailing mother (Frances Conroy) he has ambitions of making it as a stand-up comedian. Sadly his narcissistic personality and uncontrollable fits of laughter (through no fault of his own) make him a target for society. Gotham City is an unforgiving place and for Arthur, it is a constant struggle of acceptance. He’s belittled and beaten down at every turn and he’s not strong enough to fight back. The bruises on his skeletal frame are a testament to this. He’s an awkward character not least because his quiet personality simmers beneath someone ready to explode – and explode he does.
A comic book adaptation like no other it’s thought-provoking and difficult to watch
But Arthur is sick. That much is clear. Society no longer wants to help. As a result, his social worker explains that the city has cut all funding and the facility and access to his medication he relies on will stop – “All I have are negative thoughts,” he says. When the brutality takes a serious turn he unwittingly becomes a figurehead for Gotham’s society. The clown is a symbol of defiance. Fighting against the rich, of all people Thomas Wayne, who is running for Mayor. Wayne becomes wrapped up in a storyline that brings Arthur together with a familiar young face.
The strong comparisons to Taxi Driver are unavoidable, but there is a definite Scorsese feel to the film. The casting of Robert De Niro as talk show host Murray Franklin is almost a direct nod to King of Comedy in which De Niro stalks and kidnaps his idol to take the spotlight for himself. Here it’s Arthur who lovingly worships Murray. The build up to the clown prince of crime is worth the wait as the transformation builds up to a frenetic and gruesome final act.
One of the biggest takeaways from Joker is its focus on mental illness. Arthur’s battered notebook is not only a journal for his jokes but for his dark thoughts. This is a topic that will hit close to home for many people who might experience similar, with an outward animosity to society.
Tim McGuire (301 KP) rated Joker (2019) in Movies
Nov 2, 2019
359. Joker. A freaking phenomenal movie! A bleak look at society, health care, and a whole bunch of other stuff rolled into one. Starring Joaquin Phoenix an actor known for diving into his roles and he quite obviously dove into this one. All about Norman Bate-ish guy Arthur Fleck, an unfunny wanna be comedian, works as a human sign holder dressed as a creepy clown, society treats him like crap, and his state appointed head doctor has told him funding has been cut and doctor visits will be no more, and yes he lives with his mommy who is not well. And after being noticed by a famous tv talk show host, Murray Franklin, played by Robert Deniro, after being recorded doing stand up, and calling him out on his un-funniness, it seems a screw that may have been loose has now been lost. A fantastic movie!
Stop reading here if you don't want any more info... lol...
I heard Joker 2 of course is in the works. I wanna say boo to that. Tho the name Wayne is thrown around and all those connections... A lot of Arthur's reality was not reality. Is he really THE Joker? I think it works as a stand alone. A one possible scenario type thing. Maybe it's just me. Filmbufftim on FB
Stop reading here if you don't want any more info... lol...
I heard Joker 2 of course is in the works. I wanna say boo to that. Tho the name Wayne is thrown around and all those connections... A lot of Arthur's reality was not reality. Is he really THE Joker? I think it works as a stand alone. A one possible scenario type thing. Maybe it's just me. Filmbufftim on FB
Heart Failure 2017
Medical and Productivity
App
The mobile app for Heart Failure 2017, 29 April - 2 May, Paris - France. Heart Failure is the...
Becoming a Romanov. Grand Duchess Elena of Russia and Her World (1807-1873)
Marina Soroka and Charles A. Ruud
Book
The Russian Great Reforms of the 1860s were the last major modernizing effort by the Romanov...
Carstairs: Hospital for Horrors
10.0
Rate It
Book
Carstairs, the State Hospital in Lanarkshire, Scotland, is a hospital like no other. Effectively a...