pinkasphalt

We went, we saw, we conquered, and now we’re back to tell the tale. First thing’s first, the concert was excellent. Things started out a little shaky because we were late and missed the first couple of songs. Lesson learned: when in Italy give yourself waaay more time than you think you’ll need because simple things have a way of getting really complicated when you

The Stadio Olimpico, where on Saturday we will be watching U2

Flickr rocks because they admit they sometimes suck. You have to admire a company that ends an apology for recent downtime and outages by saying “p.s. Comments are open. Tell it like it is.” If you haven’t checked out Flickr, go open an account and have some photo fun.

James Doohan, 1920-2005

One of my fondest childhood memories is of spending evenings with my dad watching the original Star Trek series, on betamax no less It was not often that I got to spend one-on-one time with my father, so I really looked forward to our Star Trek evenings. We watched every single episode and when were were done, we watched them again. I was pretty young, so I only have a few memories of the actual shows (tribbles, the salt monster), but among the things I do remember is Scotty. I can still hear him saying “Captain, I’m giving it all I’ve got!” in his Scottish accent. I think my love of science fiction (and of Scottish accents for that matter) can probably be traced back those evenings with my dad.

Title: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Author: J.K. Rowling
Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Book, July 2005
Hardcover: 672 pages
ISBN: 0439784549

Joining the ranks of school children everywhere, I spent a considerable amount of time this weekend reading the latest Harry Potter installment. Although the narrative pace was certainly slower than in the previous books, I found this to be a welcome change after the convoluted storyline of the Order of the Phoenix. This book was clearly setting the scene for the next and final book, and although some have said this gave the book a contrived air, I quite enjoyed all the flashbacks that provided us with more information on the mysterious Lord Voldermort.

Throughout the course of this book, Harry and Co. seemed to be resolutely entering adulthood, leaving behind the trappings of childhood. This process came to a head at the end of the climatic last chapter, when Harry decides on the path he must follow and Hermione and Ron pledge to join him. One aspect of their growing up that was handled less gracefully, was their romantic lives. Constant references to snogging made it seems as though there were people making out in every nook and cranny of Hogwarts, which is somehow at odds with the Hogwarts that J.K. Rowling had described previously. The romantic scenes also suffered from the awkwardness brought about by trying to discusses issues of sexuality in a G-rated setting. That said, there were other scenes that were decidedly less G-rated. In particular, certain fight scenes. As I read them I wondered what an accurate depiction of those scenes would do for the ratings of the Half-Blood Prince movie.

All in all, this was an entertaining read. But I expect the last book to be even better.

If anyone needs a refresher of where the story stands until this point, here are synopses of the first five books.

Someone peering at our world on the day that he was killed would have seen a bright spark suddenly dissappear. For an instant, the light made up by the sum of humanity flickered. And when it began to shine steadily again, it was a little dimmer. I wonder how many bright sparks can be prematurely extinguished before the light stops shining altogether. But I think that on the day that he was killed, his spark burst into a million tiny pieces of light, which were absorbed by people all over the world. At least I hope that’s what happened and I believe it did, because I too have a dream. And when I hear certain people speak, I know they have a dream as well.

Title: The Traveler: A Novel
Author: John Twelve Hawks
Publisher: Doubleday, July 2005
Hardcover: 464 pages
ISBN: 038551428X

I recently finished listening to the audio version of The Traveler. The book describes a not-too-distant world in which a secret organization is determined to bring about a perfectly controlled society by creating a virtual panopticon. Central to their plan are the travelers, people with the ability to travel to other dimensions. The story follows two of the last travelers, Michael and Gabriel, and Maya, who belongs to an order sworn to protect them.

I found the book highly enjoyable with well-developed characters and a compelling storyline. I didn’t find the idea that we are living in a virtual panopticon particulary shocking; all you have to do is look around to know that our personal, private spaces are smaller every day. That said, in the era of the Patriot Act, the book is certainly timely. What I found more interesting however, were the ways in which different characters tried to keep their lives outside the sphere of the panopticon. I was particulary intrigued by the New Harmony community, a small enclave of people that chose to live off the grid, while still embracing the use of technology. In the interview that followed my version of the book, Mr Twelve Hawks said that although this was a fictitious community, it was based on communities already in existence. Although some research has turned up many different intentional communities and cohousing communities, I haven’t been able to find anything quite like what he described.

The last element that is often mentioned when discussing this book is the publicity hype that surrounded it, including the Evergreen Foundation website and the Hollis Martial Arts School website. This is not wholly uncommon in publicity campaigns however. What is a bit more uncommon is the author’s interaction with the world. Mr. Twelve Hawks clearly believes that the virtual panopticon is a reality. He lives his life “off the grid”: he as no credit cards, no driver’s license, uses only a satellite phone and uses a voice synthesizer to disguise his voice. As he puts it “The Vast Machine is the very powerful