Latest News
Loading...

  • HEADING HERE

    DESCRIPTION HERE
  • HEADING HERE

    DESCRIPTION HERE
  • HEADING HERE

    DESCRIPTION HERE
  • HEADING HERE

    DESCRIPTION HERE
  • HEADING HERE

    DESCRIPTION HERE

Recent Posts

Tuesday, June 11, 2013
E3 RECAP: DAY ONE

E3 RECAP: DAY ONE



I really thought the current generation of gaming (PS3, 360, Wii) was going to be the last time I'd really care for gaming.  With Nintendo releasing the WiiU and the two recent conferences by Sony and Microsoft, I thought I wouldn't dive into the new generation balls deep.  I thought I would just lay back, play some fighitng games casually or go on my pc and play some free-to-play games or play League of Legends (Yuck) with some friends.  In the past, I've bought or borrowed (for an extended period of time) all the "Big 3" systems of the the current and past generations (PS2, Xbox, and Gamecube...Sorry Dreamcast, I consider you the generation prior to that) and never had a bias or favorite in the console wars, ALTHOUGH I did find some features of some better than others. 


As a gamer, e3 is always an anxious time because we want to know what new hardware or games are coming out for the systems we have or looking forward to purchasing.  That being said, this being the internet age, we are spoiled due to the fact that nothing is secret or nothing surprises us now because we can get the information on games/hardware almost instantly rather than waiting for a magazine to tell us.  I will say this, I WAS REALLY SURPRISED BY MANY OF THE THING UNVEILED TODAY DURING THE FIRST DAY OF E3.  I am going to try and bullet point the 4 main conferences today (Microsoft, EA, Ubisoft, and Sony) .  Hopefully tomorrow I can touch on what Ninendo has to offer since they aren’t having a conference but rather have multiple Best Buy stores show off what they are going to be unveiling.  These Best Buy locations are listed here
so that anyone can go see what they are going to be showing off if you are near any of those areas.
 

Microsoft:
  • Xbox One has a $499 and Launches in November
  • Microsoft Points are dead (A plus since the denomination is ridiculous and I hate having spare points with nothing to buy)
  • Halo… Yup
  • Some Good exclusives: Respawn, Killer Instinct 3 (BEEN WAITING ABOUT 15 YEARS OF MY LIFE FOR THE 3RD INSTALLMENT. B. Orchid Kreygasm)Forza 5, new Dead Rising game
  • The Trash Talking during the Killer Instinct 3 demo was kind of inappropriate
  • Xbox Live members finally getting free games (A thing Playstation Plus Members have been getting since they first introduced the program)
  • New Xbox 360 model out today
  • Had Hideo Kojima (THE MASTER) talk about the new Metal Gear game
  • Still has the no sharing of games/ No pre-owned unless the store gets permission too
    • Pretty Much no 2nd hand, renting, Gamefly-ing, Amazon/ebay, Mom and Popshop use distribution
  • Must be connected to the internet once every 24 hours
  • Kinect must always be plugged in

Ubisoft:

  • South Park gaming coming in the end of the year
  • New MMO coming out
  • New Trials game
  • New Assassins Creed Game
  • Just Dance 2014 (One Direction v_v)
  • Rabbids Invasion (really looks good)
  • Fusion (Game kind of looks interesting)

EA:
  • New Peggle game
  • http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/18qf5hn35wy9xgif/ku-xlarge.gif
  • New Star Wars Battlefront game (FINALLY)
  • Dragon Age Inquisition (Hopefully better than the last game)
  • New UFC Game
  • Battlefield 4 (A really great competitor to Call of Duty Franchise)
    Mirror’s Edge 2 (Don’t screw it up it looks really really good)
SONY:
  • Support for the Vita, remakes and some new games (FINALLY)
  • Batman…. 60’s tv version and present day batman
  • Final Unveiling of the console
  • Redbox and Flickster support
  • Indiegame Divekick shown (Pretty cool game from what the demo’s have shown)
  • Diablo 3
  • Square Enix shows off New Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy
  • Shows off some gameplay of Watch Dogs (Game looks really really sick)
  • MAD FUCKING MAX
  • More Indie games being shown of (Glad Sony is supporting the indie Developer
  • Activision and Bungie (One of the rare Microsoft Exclusive Publishers) show off a special partnership with...
    • NO MANDATORY ONLINE
    • COMES OUT HOLIDAY SEASON FOR $399
    • and well….this:


In my opinion as of right now, Sony is dominating the console market but nothing has been released so we can't put are eggs in one basket.

Hope Nintendo shows off some good stuff Tuesday

________________________________________________________________________________
[ Derek "Dr. Universe"]


Saturday, June 8, 2013
Coming Attractions: June 2013

Coming Attractions: June 2013





Coming Attractions is a monthly piece in which I let you know what I think will be the best movies releasing in the coming month. So if you plan on going to the movies any time this month, hopefully I’ll give you an idea as to what your best bet will be each week. So without further ado, here are the coming attractions for June 2013:


The summer movie season is in full swing in June. With some big blockbusters and some other long-awaited movies coming out this month, there's plenty of films for you to see.



Friday, June 7

The Kings of Summer (Limited Release)


Directed by: Jordan Vogt-Robers
Written by: Chris Galletta
Starring: Nick Robinson, Gabriel Basso, Moises Arias, Nick Offerman, Megan Mullally

This movie technically came out last month, but only as a limited release. On June 7th the movie gets an expanded release (and opening in even more theatres again on June 21st). This is hands down the best movie I've seen so far this year. A coming of age tale that truly encapsulates the all of the joy and angst that comes with being an adolescent male without dipping into melodrama at all. An extremely relatable movie that calls on nostalgia but in no way relies on it. And on top of that, it's also one of the funniest movies I've seen in a long time. If you see one movie this month, make it The Kings of Summer.


Friday, June 14

Man of Steel

Directed by: Zack Snyder
Written by: David S. Goyer
Starring: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Russell Crowe

After the general disdain for 2006's Superman Returns, Man of Steel has a lot to live up to. But with story input from Christopher Nolan and a script from David S. Goyer (both from The Dark Knight trilogy) there's not a lot of doubt that the film will live up to its potential. Retelling the famous superhero's story in a more dramatic, realistic manner (or at least as realistic as you can get when it comes to Superman) this looks like a gritty reboot that promises to deliver. And the best part of all: Amy Adams is in it.


Friday, June 21

Monsters University

Directed by: Dan Scanlon
Written by: Daniel Gerson, Robert L. Baird, Dan Scanlon
Starring: Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Nathan Fillion, Helen Mirren

Disney-Pixar films are always something to look forward to. Monsters University is no exception. A prequel to 2001's Monsters Inc., the film places Mike and Sully in their glory days at school. The new film is a bit less emotional than the original, but I would argue that it's even funnier. With plenty of jokes (some quick ones that only adults might get) and a great voice cast (so many surprise voices you'll recognize), this is one of the best movies of the year.


Friday, June 28

White House Down

Directed by: Roland Emmerich
Written by: James Vanderbilt
Starring: Channing Tatum, Jamie Foxx, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Richard Jenkins, Jason Clarke

This last weekend of the month is easily the weakest. If you didn't see Olympus Has Fallen back in March, go check out this movie. From what I can tell, the only real difference is that the terrorists are American instead of North Korean in this movie. Other than that it seems to be the same: protagonist (who women will enjoy watching) protects the president when the Washington D.C. is invaded.



Honorable Mentions
Much Ado About Nothing (June 7 - LIMITED RELEASE)

Directed by: Joss Whedon
Written by: Joss Whedon
Starring: Amy Acker, Denis Denisof, Nathan Fillion, Clark Gregg, Fran Kanz, Sean Maher

An adaptation of William Shakespeare's play written and directed by Joss Whedon, starring a slew of actors regularly used by Whedon. If that's not enough to please the geek crowd, I don't know what is.


The Bling Ring (June 14 - LIMITED RELEASE)

Directed by: Sofia Coppola
Written by: Sofia Coppola
Starring: Emma Watson, Leslie Mann, Taissa Farmiga, Erin Daniels, Israel Broussard, Katie Chang

Based on a true story from only a few years ago, The Bling Ring tells of a group of fame-obsessed teenage girls who rob from celebrities. This looks to be a less stylized, more realistic version Spring Breakers, showing what today's youths with warped morals are willing to do in order to live large.


This Is the End (June 14)

Directed by: Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg
Written by: Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg
Starring: Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, James Franco, Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson, Danny McBride

Based on a short film starring Rogen and Baruchel from a few years ago, This Is the End is Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg's first foray into directing. With all of the comedically talented cast playing exaggerated versions of themselves in an extreme situation, the laughs are obviously big, but the trailers, TV spots, and inside looks online give away a lot of the best bits. My advice is to stay away from them in order to get the best experience out of this. If you like the other comedies from the actors involved you should get a real kick out of this.


World War Z (June 21)

Directed by: Marc Forster
Written by: Matthew Michael Carnahan, Drew Goddard, Damon Lindelof
Starring: Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos, James Badge Dale, David Morse, Abigail Hargrove

With a lot of rewrites and reshoots throughout the production process, there's some skepticism over what the quality of the final film will be. However, early rumblings are looking pretty positive. While the wildly popular book it's based on is more of a documentation of the war on the zombies, the film seems to translate it into a more standard narrative structure, linking all of the events together with Brad Pitt's character, a United Nations employee trying to put a stop to a zombie outbreak that's crippling the world.



-

Feel free to follow me on Twitter @JOKftw or post in the comments if you've got any questions or comments.

Monday, June 3, 2013
Hannibal: Not the Usual Fare

Hannibal: Not the Usual Fare

Are you watching Hannibal?
Do.

(No spoilers.)

Just look at that picture above. Do you see the quality? Look again, and notice the style of the suit, the detail in the napkin and wallpaper, and the colors. Every single shot in this show has that level of detail. Most shows have these kinds of stylized and fully saturated shots in their promotional material, but then revert back to the usual network level of filming for the actual program. Not Hannibal. THAT is what you get. In every aspect of the show, Hannibal delivers detail and quality; none of it is your average network TV.


Gorgeous promotional photo.


Hannibal hits three major selling points, in my opinion. Firstly, they nailed the casting. The primary stars, Hugh Dancy, Laurence Fishbourne, and Mads Mikkelsen, are all seasoned actors. The main star of the show playing Hannibal Lecter himself, Mads Mikkelsen, is KILLER. I kid you not. His face, his acting, the writing for the role, are all perfection for his character. To add a little more kick to an already stellar cast, Gillian Anderson and Gina Torres also guest star on occasion. 

Beyond great acting, Hannibal serves up a feast for the senses. It's like watching a work of art. So much preparation and thought has gone into every detail in set design, style in clothing, and sound. I thoroughly appreciate the forethought that has clearly gone into every shot; I can see that the color of couches, walls, curtains, and clothing have all been considered and deliberately combined in all the right ways for maximum affect. 


Look at the colors of the wall, the couch, and on the two characters; 
that is what each scene is like. They are just as indulgent as the meals Hannibal himself creates.


This is directly from a scene; it's not a promotional image.


The clothing regularly ties in to the background.
Those light blues in the back of the scene tie in with the pocket kerchief. 
Blues and browns are always a beautiful combination, 
especially when the tones are just right as seen here.


Finally, the story and writing itself make this a winning show in it's uniqueness. At first glance, you might think this was a crime drama. Perhaps it is. I'm not sure. I do know that I would personally label it as more of a psychological drama. All the elements that make up Hannibal create a mood to experience as well as a story to watch. It's highly unpredictable. You never know for sure what each episode will hold or where the story will go. Will it be fearful or pensive or both? The bodies, deaths, and crime scenes are also very distinctly "Hannibal" and avoid being like other crime dramas. 

I honestly still couldn't tell you where this season is going. I just know that I want to watch the next episode and find out more. It's a show that unravels layers from each character and from the storyline through each scene; every thing has a purpose. I love that it isn't about individual episodes each week. I don't even think it's about a story arc for each season. It may be too early to tell that for sure, but I think it's a pretty safe bet that this is all about the characters' stories and how they will ultimately culminate.


Locations always have texture, pattern, and color.


A phrase often repeated is "This is my design." It is used in relation to the purposeful acts of a psychopath. It can be said that every aspect of this show is by design. For that reason, it's definitely worth sampling. You'll find yourself wanting more.

I'm very pleased that Season 2 has been confirmed. Hannibal is here for dinner; get in while it's hot.

Sincerely,
Heather






Saturday, June 1, 2013
The Fall of the Eleventh: BBC Announces Matt Smith's Exit from Doctor Who

The Fall of the Eleventh: BBC Announces Matt Smith's Exit from Doctor Who

Matt Smith

BBC has announced that Matt Smith will complete his tenure as the Doctor by the end of next year during the 2013 Christmas Special. AAHHH!!!! We now have one further thing to theorize and talk about until the next series returns in November.



We've been fairly warned. We saw the fields of Trenzelore in the series finale a few weeks ago which has led us to wonder if "the fall of the Eleventh" has begun. This announcement confirms it.

It's worth going to see the BBC announcement as it includes a wonderful statement from Matt Smith regarding his exit and time on the show.







The beginning of the end is here; there's no denying it now.

With Bated Breath,
Heather
Friday, May 31, 2013
The Name of The Doctor

The Name of The Doctor

"What kind of idiot would want to steal a faulty TARDIS?"
Spoilers!

(In fact, this post is written specifically with those who have already viewed the episode in mind.)

By now, everyone should have had a chance to watch the Doctor Who season finale, The Name of The Doctor.

You were frozen and stupefied for a few moments at the end, too?

From the opening scenes in Gallifrey and the shots of Clara throughout time seeing the different Doctors, this episode began to deliver right away.

Can I just skip straight on to Strax now? HOW freaking hilarious was he this entire episode? I want Strax t-shirts like YESTERDAY. I love that we got to see that he had taken up fighting in Scotland.   "Prepare to die IN agony for the GLORY of the Saltaran Empire!!" I also love his inability to correctly identify human gender. "What is it girl?! (It was a boy.) Can't you see I'm about to crush the brains of this stinking primitive!?"I could go back and watch this episode a thousand times just for Strax quotes!!!

Next, I'd like to highlight the incredibly awesome "Conference Call". The nature of it is amazing because they communicate through time while dreaming; that was super cool. I particularly love that they made it seem so magical. I honestly would not have been as impressed with it if it was too clinically scientific or reliant on mechanics. Speaking of the Conference Call, it led us to another treasure trove of Strax moments. "OH NOO, not the one with GIGANTIC head??"

Not to give us cool stuff at the start and then cease to deliver, the episode didn't waste anytime getting back to giving us drops of information. Unbeknownst to us in our first viewing, we were given this HUGE explanation:

"Was your mum deep on puddings?"

Honestly, on first viewing, I just thought this was another moment to tie in to Asylum of the Daleks and show us how quirky Clara and her mum were. NOOOOPE. That right there was our explanation of The Impossible Girl. There was only one original DNA blueprint of Clara, i.e. the original Clara or "recipe",  who was traveling with the Doctor in the most recent episodes. Then, there have been the echoes of Clara: the varying versions in time coming from the original genetic recipe. This time, she really WAS the original Souffle Girl; the one who would soon step into a timeline that created The Impossible Girl.

Not to allow even the slightest hint of a dull moment, we were also quickly introduced to The Whisper Men.

FREAKING FREAKY LOOKING

Thank you, Doctor Who, for once again delivering BADASS amazing costumes and monsters that are REAL and NOT CGI. These guys are amazing. I love their look. LOOVE. While they are not as scary and menacing as the Weeping Angels or the Silence, they are certainly just as cool to look at.


Oh Doctor. You are so hilarious when being duped by those "little Daleks!!!" Ahem. Back to the Doctor. OH MY DOUBLE ALIEN HEARTS!!! When he heard what River said and the mention of Trenzalor, his face. HIS FACE. I have no words for that moment when we caught a glimpse of how deep his emotions and concience clearly run. I also don't have words for the instant INTRIGUE that induced. What? What is it exactly that is so deeply felt?



Now, we shall skip ahead to Trenzalore; where we learn about his grave. I love his reason for going. "I have to save Vastra and Strax. Jenny, too, if it's still possible. They were with me during the dark times. Never questioned me. Never judged me. They were just... kind." That's the definition of real friendship. This moment helped me really understand the importance of Vastra, Jenny, and Strax. We know the Doctor should never be alone. Now we know he has friends beyond the usual human companion; and they were there for him in the best way friends can be.

Of course, on Trenzalore, the Whisper Men caught up to them. Yet again, Strax stole the show when trying to fool the "enemy", "This place is surrounded! Lay down your weapons and your deaths will be merciful! This planet is now property of the Saltaran Empire! Surrender  your women and intellectuals!!", as well as with the way he spoke to Vastra, "Unhand me, you ridiculous reptile!!".

Now, regarding the Doctor's name. One theory is that when he said "Please!" he was shouting to River to let her know to open the doors. I'm not entirely sure that's the case. It is possible. I'm still inclined to believe she did on her own. This leads me to share an interesting thought I stumbled across on the interwebs:

Interesting thought. 
Now sure it can really apply to his actual name, 
since he knows his name before his entire timeline is written.

Ultimately, we won't know his name ever in this show until the very end. Maybe. 

With everything we learned about Timelord graves, and Clara's rescue of the Doctor, many of our questions were answered. Namely, we got to find out who Clara was and how she could be The Impossible Girl. She saved the Doctor. More than just the Eleventh, we come to find out. She literally saves THE Doctor. Entirely. We glimpsed this aspect of her nature in The Rings of Akhaten, "We never walk away." I also love that she was smart enough to figure out that, "This is what I've already done. You've already seen me do it." and jumped in to save the Doctor. Who's a clever girl!!? Clara. She's amazing. 

Looking forward to learning what those spoilers are about!!!!


Regarding River, they may have said goodbye to each other, but we're not finished with her yet. At least, I hope not. I believe we'll still get to see how she learned his name. I hope. It was so good to see her again and to see them together, even if she was just an echo of sorts herself. 

This moment was too great. So good. Strax's face.

True to form, he jumped in after Clara.  I love that he cares for her like a father. "Clara! My Clara!" He comforted her and risked his own death to save her.

Was this the fall of the Eleventh when the question is asked? Doctor Who? Or was this a foreshadow of it? I couldn't tell. If this is his fall, it's not his death, just maybe an emotional fall. That would fit with my personal theory that this is not, in fact, the eleventh regeneration of the Doctor. I think that John Hurt's Doctor is actually the Ninth Doctor. However, because of whatever it was that he did, presumably the Great Time War in which he destroyed all the Timelords, the Doctor refuses to acknowledge him. Therefore, he sees himself as the Eleventh Doctor, even though he is actually the twelfth regeneration. John Hurt's doctor, therefore, does not rank among the Doctors; he is disavowed.




I can't wait to see where the next season takes us!! I'm learning now, that we should never speculate about Doctor Who. No one came even CLOSE to guessing what happened in this episode. 

I would love to hear from you. Tweet at me or comment below! We have until November 23rd to comfort ourselves and talk about the Doctor!!

Your Whovian Friend,
Heather




Google Glass From the 90s

Google Glass From the 90s



Above is a picture of Google Glass. It is one of the most highly anticipated piece of tech that will be available in 2014. The expected price tag is just under $1,500.

And here is Tiger Electronic's R-ZONE. One of the biggest let downs of the mid 90s. The system was about $30 and the each game was around $20. Players spent more time with headaches than they did enjoying their games (I'm speaking from experience).  After it's flop, its sole purpose was to be repainted and used as a prop in various sci-fi shows at the time.
It was essentially a glorified version of this:




and here is what the folks at MASHABLE did with it:

Thanks Mashable. My love of pranks, trolling, and nostalgia knows no bounds.
Monday, May 27, 2013
Joss says "You are all going to die" and gets Honorary Doctorate

Joss says "You are all going to die" and gets Honorary Doctorate


At Wesleyan University's graduation ceremony on Sunday, May 26th, 2013, Joss Whedon was awarded the Honorary Doctorate of Letters. He then delivered the commencement speech to the graduating class which was filled with humor and brilliant advice.

The video and the transcription:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and… no. I’m not that lazy.

I actually sat through many graduations. When I was siting where you guys were sitting, the speaker was Bill Cosby—funny man Bill Cosby, he was very funny and he was very brief, and I thanked him for that. He gave us a message that I really took with me, that a lot of us never forgot, about changing the world. He said, “you’re not going to change the world, so don’t try.”
That was it. He didn’t buy that back at all. And then he complained about buying his daughter a car and we left. I remember thinking, “I think I can do better. I think I can be a little more inspiring than that.”

And so, what I’d like to say to all of you is that you are all going to die.

This is a good commencement speech because I’m figuring it’s only going to go up from here. It can only get better, so this is good. It can’t get more depressing. You have, in fact, already begun to die. You look great. Don’t get me wrong. And you are youth and beauty. You are at the physical peak. Your bodies have just gotten off the ski slope on the peak of growth, potential, and now comes the black diamond mogul run to the grave. And the weird thing is your body wants to die. On a cellular level, that’s what it wants. And that’s probably not what you want.


I’m confronted by a great deal of grand and worthy ambition from this student body. You want to be a politician, a social worker. You want to be an artist. Your body’s ambition: Mulch. Your body wants to make some babies and then go in the ground and fertilize things. That’s it. And that seems like a bit of a contradiction. It doesn’t seem fair. For one thing, we’re telling you, “Go out into the world!” exactly when your body is saying, “Hey, let’s bring it down a notch. Let’s take it down.”
And it is a contradiction. And that’s actually what I’d like to talk to you about. The contradiction between your body and your mind, between your mind and itself. I believe these contradictions and these tensions are the greatest gift that we have, and hopefully, I can explain that.

But first let me say when I talk about contradiction, I’m talking about something that is a constant in your life and in your identity, not just in your body but in your own mind, in ways that you may recognize or you may not.

Let’s just say, hypothetically, that two roads diverged in the woods and you took the path less traveled. Part of you is just going, “Look at that path! Over there, it’s much better. Everyone is traveling on it. It’s paved, and there’s like a Starbucks every 40 yards. This is wrong. In this one, there’s nettles and Robert Frost’s body—somebody should have moved that—it just feels weird. And not only does your mind tell you this, it is on that other path, it is behaving as though it is on that path. It is doing the opposite of what you are doing. And for your entire life, you will be doing, on some level, the opposite—not only of what you were doing—but of what you think you are. That is just going to go on. What you do with all your heart, you will do the opposite of. And what you need to do is to honor that, to understand it, to unearth it, to listen to this other voice.

You have, which is a rare thing, that ability and the responsibility to listen to the dissent in yourself, to at least give it the floor, because it is the key—not only to consciousness-but to real growth. To accept duality is to earn identity. And identity is something that you are constantly earning. It is not just who you are. It is a process that you must be active in. It’s not just parroting your parents or the thoughts of your learned teachers. It is now more than ever about understanding yourself so you can become yourself.

I talk about this contradiction, and this tension, there’s two things I want to say about it. One, it never goes away. And if you think that achieving something, if you think that solving something, if you think a career or a relationship will quiet that voice, it will not. If you think that happiness means total peace, you will never be happy. Peace comes from the acceptance of the part of you that can never be at peace. It will always be in conflict. If you accept that, everything gets a lot better.

The other reason is because you are establishing your identities and your beliefs, you need to argue yourself down, because somebody else will. Somebody’s going to come at you, and whatever your belief, your idea, your ambition, somebody’s going to question it. And unless you have first, you won’t be able to answer back, you won’t be able to hold your ground. You don’t believe me, try taking a stand on just one leg. You need to see both sides.

Now, if you do, does this mean that you get to change the world? Well, I’m getting to that, so just chill. All I can say to this point is I think we can all agree that the world could use a little changing. I don’t know if your parents have explained this to you about the world but… we broke it. I’m sorry… it’s a bit of a mess. It’s a hard time to go out there. And it’s a weird time in our country.

The thing about our country is—oh, it’s nice, I like it—it’s not long on contradiction or ambiguity. It’s not long on these kinds of things. It likes things to be simple, it likes things to be pigeonholed—good or bad, black or white, blue or red. And we’re not that. We’re more interesting than that. And the way that we go into the world understanding is to have these contradictions in ourselves and see them in other people and not judge them for it. To know that, in a world where debate has kind of fallen away and given way to shouting and bullying, that the best thing is not just the idea of honest debate, the best thing is losing the debate, because it means that you learn something and you changed your position. The only way really to understand your position and its worth is to understand the opposite. That doesn’t mean the crazy guy on the radio who is spewing hate, it means the decent human truths of all the people who feel the need to listen to that guy. You are connected to those people. They’re connected to him. You can’t get away from it.

This connection is part of contradiction. It is the tension I was talking about. This tension isn’t about two opposite points, it’s about the line in between them, and it’s being stretched by them. We need to acknowledge and honor that tension, and the connection that that tension is a part of. Our connection not just to the people we love, but to everybody, including people we can’t stand and wish weren’t around. The connection we have is part of what defines us on such a basic level.

Freedom is not freedom from connection. Serial killing is freedom from connection. Certain large investment firms have established freedom from connection. But we as people never do, and we’re not supposed to, and we shouldn’t want to. We are individuals, obviously, but we are more than that.
So here’s the thing about changing the world. It turns out that’s not even the question, because you don’t have a choice. You are going to change the world, because that is actually what the world is. You do not pass through this life, it passes through you. You experience it, you interpret it, you act, and then it is different. That happens constantly. You are changing the world. You always have been, and now, it becomes real on a level that it hasn’t been before.

And that’s why I’ve been talking only about you and the tension within you, because you are—not in a clichéd sense, but in a weirdly literal sense—the future. After you walk up here and walk back down, you’re going to be the present. You will be the broken world and the act of changing it, in a way that you haven’t been before. You will be so many things, and the one thing that I wish I’d known and want to say is, don’t just been yourself. Be all of yourselves. Don’t just live. Be that other thing connected to death. Be life. Live all of your life. Understand it, see it, appreciate it. And have fun.


So all it takes to get an honorary doctorate from your alma mater is to create a few television shows, kill fan-favorite characters in each show, write and direct one of the highest grossing films of all time, and film and direct a play by Shakespeare with some friends that happen to be TV and movie stars? Sounds doable.


Transciption and pictures via Wesleyan University Newsletter.
Copyright © 2012 test All Right Reserved
Designed by CBTblogger