J.R. Johnson

I Have Awesome Friends…

October 16, 2012 by J.R. Johnson

As proof I submit the following excerpt from a recent email, sent to a particular circle of friends I refer to mentally as The Geek Squad (and yes, I definitely include myself in that moniker). This is from Sara, party-giver (who is not to be confused with Sarah, party-givee:)

So there’s this movie out. You might have heard of it. It has a full movie budget, and is about space nazis.

Space. Nazis.

Wait, space nazis aren’t your cup of teadenfreuden?

Well screw you, space nazis sounds amazing.

Okay, wait, no, I accept that some people might not be into space Hitler. I guess. FINE.

We also have Australian alien zombie fish.

Oh yeah. You heard me.

Case closed.

P.S. It should go without saying that the Nazis are the bad guys. Also? They are on the dark side of the moon. Because where else would Nazis be?! Welcome to the weird and wonderful magic that is Bad Movie Night:)

P.P.S. Wait, even better. There is an article about the movie Iron Sky in The Economist, highlighting the crowdsourced and social media dimensions of progressive independent filmmaking. Also? Space Nazis!

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Little Nemo

October 15, 2012 by J.R. Johnson

If you haven’t already seen/played through Google’s tribute to “Little Nemo in Slumberland,” I recommend it. For today it’s linked at the main site, but in the future you can find it (and other special Google doodles) at their archive. (The Star Trek “mini episode” is one of my favorites; don’t miss the clickable bits! 🙂

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Creativity, Minus the “Obligatory” Crazy

October 12, 2012 by J.R. Johnson

I stumbled on this TED talk by Elizabeth Gilbert yesterday and loved her characterization of creative genius as something that we encounter, rather than have (or, more devastatingly, do not). Sure, it could be considered a cop-out, but any idea that can help artists move forward while avoiding the pitfalls of despair seems like a good thing. Also? She’s funny.

Posted in Writing | Tagged creativity, inspiration, Writers, writing | 1 Comment »

A What?

October 11, 2012 by J.R. Johnson

I have just been informed that there is actually a bird called a kaka… No wait, it’s a kākā. That’s entirely different.

It lives in New Zealand, and is also strangely, eerily, beautiful.

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Ok, Hilarious: Men Photographed in Classic Pin-Up Poses

October 9, 2012 by J.R. Johnson

Every so often something manages to capture the ridiculousness of sexism with a perfectly humorous twist. I submit that this photo series of men posed like classic female pin-ups is just such an occasion.

Men Photographed in Classic Pin-Up Poses

I shall leave you with this quote via Huffington Post commenter julierthanyou:

“Homophobia: the fear that gay men will treat you the way you treat women.”

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Thanksgiving (v1.0.ca)

October 8, 2012 by J.R. Johnson

I have just given my very first Canadian Thanksgiving. It was a lovely mix of friends and family, and of course, food.

* Menu for a Canadian T-Day (appetizers and alcohol are assumed, because… well, because):

— Turkey with stuffing and gravy

— Tortiere (meat pie to us English speakers)

— Green beans with lemon, butter, and anchovy sauce

— Mashed cauliflower with herbs and boursin cheese

— Orange cranberry sauce

— Pumpkin pie (Tried a new recipe, from Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything; I wasn’t sure about the added step of pre-cooking the pumpkin mix, but the result was a deliciously creamy custard-y filling. Recommended.)

Funny, none of the Canadians at the table knew what they were supposed to be thankful for, so we settled on friends, family, and dinner:)

Posted in Food and... | Leave a Comment »

Empathize with Fictional Characters? Sure, but Men and Women Do It Differently

September 29, 2012 by J.R. Johnson

The study referred to in the following quote struck me as interesting, not just because I tend to be curious about gender differences (or not), but also because of the results’ potential implications for storytelling:

…the impulse to sympathize with a fictional character seems to be triggered in different ways for males and females.

At least, that’s the conclusion of a new study by psychologists Thalia Goldstein and Ellen Winner, which tracked reactions to Leonard Bernstein’s musical theater masterpiece [West Side Story]. It found men tend to sympathize with the people on stage only if they are personally moved by their plight.

For women, merely perceiving a character is in pain is sufficient to elicit feelings of compassion.

via Why She Cries at Movies, While He Snores.

So. Writing with the average male audience in mind and trying to generate empathy? Just stabbing your character in the leg may not be enough:)

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How Many Government Programs Have You Benefited From? – NYTimes.com

September 25, 2012 by J.R. Johnson

It turns out, according to 2008 data from the Cornell Survey Research Institute reported Monday in a Times opinion piece, that 96 percent of Americans have taken part in government benefit programs in one form or another.

via How Many Government Programs Have You Benefited From? – NYTimes.com.

I love this. This NYT blog entry gets at an issue that has been twisted so completely out of shape by Republicans (mostly) and under-emphasized by Democrats (mostly).”Government” isn’t just the programs one loves to hate (sorry IRS, you’re a great rainmaker but I’m looking at you), it’s all the other stuff too. You know, programs like veterans’ benefits, student loans, and child tax credits. The U.S. isn’t one of the best societies for the average person in spite of such programs, it is as good as it is because of these programs.

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