On the Coffee Table: Logicomix

Title: Logicomix: An Epic Search for Truth
Writers: Apostolos Doxiadis and Christos H. Papadimitriou
Artists: Alecos Papadatos and Anne di Donna

via Wikipedia

Logicomix is a graphic novel biography of philosopher/mathematician Bertrand Russell.  It's an ambitious work, weaving in and out of various spots in the timeline: Russell's early professional life, a lecture years later as Britain was debating whether or not to enter World War II and the 21st century Athens of the book's creators.  The artwork is excellent, including some interesting temporal play within panels.

I have to admit that most of the philosophical and mathematical discussion was over my head.  My wife is a big fan of symbolic logic so I think she enjoyed it more.  Russell himself, however, is a compelling figure.  His encounters with mental illness in both his family and his profession shape much of his personal story.  His intellectual brilliance did not extend to his personal life, in which he was quite a disastrous husband and father.  The story's ultimate philosophical conclusion is a satisfying one.

Mock Squid Soup: June 2016 Blog List

MOCK! and The Armchair Squid are proud to present Mock Squid Soup: A Film Society!

This month, everyone gets to throw a movie of their own choice into the pot.  The week before our gathering, on Friday, June 3rd, everyone is invited to post three clues about his/her movie for others to guess.  Our next regular meeting is Friday, June 10th.   No need to sign up twice.  I'll use the same link list for both.  If you are interested in joining us, please sign on to the list below.

Mock Squid Soup: The Dish

MOCK! and The Armchair Squid are proud to welcome you to Mock Squid Soup: A Film Society, meetings on the second Friday of each month. This month, each of us is choosing another society member's movie to review as listed in The Mock Squid Soup Film Library.  The Dish was first reviewed by angryparsnip.

Title: The Dish
Director: Rob Stich
Original Release: 2000
My Overall Rating: 4 stars out of 5

via Amazon

The first moon landing has been called the most simultaneously shared event in human history.  On July 20, 1969, people all over the globe crowded around television sets to watch Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin take their first steps on the lunar surface.  It was a crowning achievement for the scientific community, the product of years of hard work and countless centuries of dreaming.  As The Dish demonstrates, the TV audience might have missed the whole thing if not for the effort and good fortune of a small group of scientists operating a radio telescope in Parkes, New South Wales.

Sam Neill and Patrick Warburton star in this remarkable story.  The film is shot on location so we get to experience the actual dish - still very much in use - on an intimate level.  The staff sit on the dish during their smoking breaks as it is raised and lowered.  They practice cricket in its bowl.  The security guard gets spooked by grazing sheep in the fields surrounding.  We are witness to the charms and occasional embarrassments of small town politics as the mayor and his wife play host to both Australian and American dignitaries as the landing nears.  It takes a little while for tension to enter the story but when disaster strikes, it hits hard. 

Not surprisingly, the real magic comes during the landing itself.  I wasn't even born yet in 1969 but the emotional impact of the moment is transcendent, clearly evident in every face on screen.  The filmmakers had the good sense to include authentic footage from the time period, too.

The movie is sweet, its imagery stunning and its characters charming.  It could certainly hold its own with other space exploration films like The Right Stuff and Apollo 13.  Its lighthearted feel would make for a nice change of pace in that mini film fest, too.

Trivia challenge again for June!  Pick your own movie to share.  Post three clues on Friday, June 3rd.  Post your reveal and review on Friday, June 10th.  Meanwhile, please visit my friends today:

The Clone Wars: The Academy

My friends and I are watching Star Wars: The Clone Wars.  Every Tuesday, we will be featuring an episode from the series which began in 2008 (as opposed to the one that started in 2003).  All are welcome to join us for all or parts of the fun.

Episode: "The Academy"
Series: Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Season 3, Episode 6
Original Air Date: October 15, 2010

via Wookieepedia

This week's episode has a bit of a Hogwarts feel to it.  Ahsoka has been assigned to teach a class at Mandalore's leadership academy.  Four of her pupils - restless and hungry - take it upon themselves to investigate the planet's black market food trade.  Wouldn't you know, corruption runs at the highest level of government and the young sleuths quickly find themselves in over their heads.

via Wookieepedia

One of the four students is Korkie Kryze, nephew of Duchess Satine.  Korkie will be back in Season 5.  He is voiced by Whit Hertford.

via Wikipedia

Whitby Flint Hertford was born November 2, 1978 in Provo, Utah.   He was a reasonably successful child actor, appearing in Jurassic Park, The Addams Family and Beaches.  As an adult, he is active on both screen and stage, where he has acting, directing and writing credits.

If you would care to join us for all or part of our travels, sign on to the list below.  Please visit the other participants today.  Next week: "Assassin."

 

On the Coffee Table: Crown of Horns

Title: Bone 9: Crown of Horns
Writer and Artist: Jeff Smith

via Barnes & Noble

I have finally reached the end of the brilliant Bone series.  As the story opens, the Pawan army is about to attack Atheia where the Bones, Thorn, Gran'ma Ben and the rest of the good guys are set to make their final stand.  Few big surprises as the story comes to conclusion, though the resolution is satisfying.

Here at the end, it's a good time to reflect on what makes Bone such an outstanding series.  As fantasy tales go, there is nothing especially extraordinary about any of the characters or the story structure.  Presentation is everything.  Smith's artwork is wonderful throughout.  He has a masterful sense of scale.  Towards the end of the story, a sort of uber-dragon is attacked by what we already know to be large dragons indeed.  The smaller dragons look like a swarm of flies in comparison.  Timing is excellent, too - snow comes again in Book 9, again quite suddenly.  Throughout, Smith is able to inject sophisticated humor into what is otherwise quite a dark story.

While the story follows the usual templates for the most part, the relationship between Fone Bone and Thron is a bit out of the ordinary: not exactly romantic but certainly beyond friendship.  Bone is a children's story so it's understandable how the smooching might be kept to a minimum.  But within the PG rating limits, tenderness is apparent and the end is bittersweet.

I don't know if I'll pursue the Bone world much farther, though the idea of starting the series over and reading straight through is appealing.  The books have been a welcome surprise and I'm glad to have read them.

On the Road: DC, April 2016

Last month, my daughter and I made our annual spring trip to visit my parents in Washington, DC.  Bearing my new FitBit, I spent much of the week exploring the city on foot.  Washington is a multi-faceted place and reasonably accommodating to pedestrians, as long as you don't mind hills.  Despite growing up nearby, there are still sections of town I don't know especially well, or at all.  In total, I logged 111,390 steps for the week, including four days of 12k or more.  I walked 55.87 miles in all.  Included below are a few of the highlights from my trekking.  All photos are my own.

Tuesday
Monuments and Memorials
Steps: 22,378
Miles: 10.5

FDR Memorial

Korean War Veterans' Memorial

Turtle in the Tidal Basin

George Mason Memorial

Jefferson Memorial

Women's Titanic Memorial

U.S. Navy Memorial

National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial

Wednesday
Capitol Hill and Georgetown
Steps: 24,622
Miles: 12.31

One of many things I like about Lonely Planet's city guides is the neighborhood walks.  On Wednesday, my most ambitious day, I tackled not one but two of the latest guide's walks: "Cap Hill Crawl" and "Genteel Georgetown."

Eastern Market

Folger Shakespeare Library

Library of Congress

U.S. Supreme Court

Union Station

National Japanese American Memorial

Oak Hill Cemetery

Georgetown

The famous staircase featured in The Exorcist

Watergate and The Kennedy Center

Georgetown's Waterfront

C&O Canal

Thursday
Roads to Diversity: Adams Morgan Heritage Trail
Steps: 20,385
Miles: 10.85

The city of Washington is working hard to clean up its own image.  In an effort to enhance civic pride, the tourism department has developed walking tours.  Signs are posted along each path with local historical information.  Adams Morgan is my parents' neighborhood so we spend most of our DC time there but I am by no means an expert.

Malcolm X Park

All Souls Church

"Un Pueblo sin Murales es un Pueblo Desuralizado" (translation: a people without murals are a de-muralized people) by Carlos Salazar and Felipe Martinez

Friday
A Fitting Tribute: Logan Circle Heritage Trail
Steps: 12,790
Miles: 7.13

This area includes what was, until fairly recently, the city's most notorious red light district.  The signs do nothing to hide this colorful past and even include the history of cleaning it up.

The messy aftermath of all those flowering trees

Vermont Avenue Baptist Church

Logan Circle

Luther Place Memorial Church

House of the Temple - not on the tour but on the walk back to my parents.'  I've long considered it one of the most eye-catching buildings in a city overrun with them.

The Clone Wars: Corruption

My friends and I are watching Star Wars: The Clone Wars.  Every Tuesday, we will be featuring an episode from the series which began in 2008 (as opposed to the one that started in 2003).  All are welcome to join us for all or parts of the fun.

Episode: "Corruption"
Series: Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Season 3, Episode 5
Original Air Date: October 8, 2010

via The Clone Wars Wiki

Padmé visits Mandalore on a diplomatic mission.  During her stay, scandal breaks out in catastrophic form.  Children are being rushed to the hospital in alarming numbers, apparently poisoned through their school lunches.  Padmé and Countess Satine investigate the root cause.  The story has many real world precedents, well-documented in a book I read and reviewed recently: Swindled by Bee Wilson.

In Star Wars films and novels, the corruption on individual planets is mentioned but we never get to see it up close.  Through occasional visits to Mandalore, The Clone Wars offers a more intimate view of such political machinations.  Always worth noting: no Jedi in this story, except in passing mention.

*****

Mandalore is governed by a Ruling Council, comprised of several ministers and led by the Prime Minister.  Among them is Armatan, Minister of the Interior.  He'll be back for another episode in Season 5.  In both episodes, he is voiced by Corey Burton.

via Wookieepedia

If you would care to join us for all or part of our travels, sign on to the list below.  Please visit the other participants today.  Next week: "The Academy."