I'm Jack Holloway and I speak for the Fuzzies

**this post contains strong language

Finished reading Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi over breakfast, and by over breakfast I mean I sat the table for an extra hour reading. Scalzi's style is simple and levelheaded. Jack Holloway is the perfect asshole. Fuzzies are awesome and adorable at the same time. I read it in about two days (between work shifts and other matters at hand). You all should read it.

My favorite character is Judge Solton. Her entire attitude towards everybody --- protagonist, antagonist, dog, what-have-you --- is a simple "Not you idiots again." She doesn't take shit from anybody. Her position as a judge gives her the ability to see through lawyerly manipulations. And her employer, which isn't ZaraCorp, means she's not prone to bribery and other corporate sneaks. She's probably the biggest badass in that entire book. I love her.

Fuzzy Nation --- go read it because a dog blows up a cliff. Seriously.

Journalism Assignment

As my first assignment as a second-year college student, I am challenged by figuring out which form of media has made the biggest impact of my life. It should be noted that I am currently multi-tasking by blogging and watching Firefly at the same time. "Two by two, hands of blue." I feel sorry for those officers who died.

So which media has made the biggest impact of my life? Certainly not television. Yes, yes, I'm watching Firefly (and easily distracted by it, I might add) but it's not the biggest media impact of my life.

So then I thought about the Internet. You know, social networking and Facebook and all that fun stuff. That seems reasonable enough. But then I got caught with the evidence backing up my claim. Or rather, I didn't make a thesis the way the professor wants it. That's worth looking into.

I also thought about books. Where would my life be if I couldn't read and write? Can I include notebooks and word processors as part of the media? But that's not a few people broadcasting/delivering information to many people. Mass media suggests a few people talking to many people. Notebooks and word processors are not mass media, but books certainly are. I like reading, and I like reading what's interesting. But between Tamora Pierce and Sarah Dessen, I can't tell you what kind of books I like. I mostly read fantasy, but I'm currently reading Edgar Allen Poe for English. There are many authors I haven't read, but I have definitely read some of the basics, discluding Danielle Steel. My claim?

Books have the greatest impact in my life. Why? Because they are interesting? W?hat is my warrant (a phrase left unstated that must be true for the thesis to be true)? I like interesting books.

The hard part is evidence. What's my evidence that books have the greatest impact on my life? Well, the amount I read for one. I have the ability to read two books a week. Does that always happen? No. But I can still do it.

There's got to be more to the evidence than that. We can also add that I'm aspiring to be a writer. Therefore, it is logical that books would have a great impact on me if my life choice is to become a writer. A writer has to read to improve their writing, just like an athlete has to watch sports to improve their game. A singer must listen to others sing to improve themselves. If you cannot see the competition and learn their techniques, then you might as well not improve your skills. That is why a writer reads a lot. Besides, it's fun.

And because good things come in threes, we need a third piece of evidence. It shall be the feeling of being lost whenever I do not have a book to read. I could be a textbook, or a newspaper; I just need something to read so I don't go crazy by myself in my dorm room. Some sort of recreational reading is preferred, but I have read some interesting news artcles before. I also enjoy the occasional magazine and graphic novel.

Here's my evidence.

Evidence #1: I can read two to three books in a calendar week.

Evidence #2: I aspire to become an author.

Evidence #3: I feel lost whenever I do not have a book to read.

Thank you for reading through my outlining troubles. Your prescence in my blog is much appreciated. Please comment.

A Movie is Not a Book

It always urks me when people don't like a movie because it was different than its book.

1). Let's say, here we have a book. It's 365 pages in length, and surprisingly full of detailed action and character development. Normally, that would make it a great book. However, if we are to put everything on the big screen, we have a few difficulties. A normal screenplay is roughly 95 to 125 pages in length (read this link for more details). Therefore, we have to condense 365 pages into less than half its length.

A person able to accomplish this feat and still produce a great film to match the great book is a rare gift. Hollywood should worship the ground they walk upon.

2). When dealing with different mediums of stories, there WILL be changes. The audience changes, the way the story is told changes (i.e. first person to third person - a movie is always in a third person point of view). And the story is not being displayed because one person is doing this for their own enjoyment. The story is being displayed because a handful of people wanted to make a two-hour movie out of a 365 page book.

The addition of more people opens up a new door.

3). A movie is a collection of interpretations, not just one interpretation. We have our 365 page book again, only limited by the imaginations of its readers. Let's say, we have five people who read the book. The Director pictures the monster's horns curled inward, the Producer imagines the monster's horns curled outward, and the Screenwriter completely forgot the monster had horns. So what happens? They collaborate their views to create a final product. We are not getting the vision of a single person (maybe we are, depending on the director), we are getting a compliation of visions by multiple people.

So the next time you walk into a movie expecting to see its book counterpart: don't. You will always be disappointed.

Good Stories plus Recommendations

I'm a fan of good stories. Not necessarily in a specific medium, but good stories in general. I've played a fair few video games (RPGs, mostly) that have some gripping plotlines. They snatch your heart and force you to continue playing until the end. And when you finish, when you beat that last boss, you breath a sigh of relief and watch the credits roll with a satisfied feeling in the pit of your stomach. It's the same feeling you get when you watch a particularly good movie, or finish that great book you've been reading all afternoon. You know it's a good story when you feel like you've just been on an adventure, and you don't regret going one bit.

When you open a book and it takes you away in those first couple pages, you know you nailed a good story. Or when you start a game or television show and you can't think of anything else until it's done. If a movie has you hooked from the opening credits, and you spend the end credits sitting in the theater trying to mull everything over. These are tell tale signs, but you can get the same feeling from stories that just really excite you.

So here is my multi-medium list of good story recommendations. Please note that this list is not extensive and limited to favorites of that particular medium. They do not reflect everything I have ever

experienced. I tried to limit the list to those that were particularly good instead of those that I just really liked on a personal level. It hasn't been a grueling process, but it did take time.

Perhaps I'll blog reviews on all these recommendations. Keep a sharp eye for them. They'll be scattered thoughout the archives once they start to build up.

Recommendations

Anime

Full Metal Alchemist

Death Note

Gundam Wing

Books

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling

The Inheritence Cycle by Christopher Paolini

The Giver by Lois Lowry

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Anything by Tamora Pierce

Manga

Mars by Fuyumi Soryo

Nana by Ai Yazawa

Movies

Castle in the Sky

Princess Mononoke

I Am Legend

The Dark Knight

The Back to the Future Trilogy

Star Trek (2009)

The Notebook

Star Wars

The Whole Nine Yards

The Princess Bride

Robin Hood starring Kevin Cosner (please tell me if I butchered his name)

Juno

V for Vendetta

Wall-E

District 9

Musicals

The Phantom of the Opera

Wicked

Jekyll and Hyde: The Musical

TV Shows

Firefly

Video Games

Kingdom Hearts

Final Fantasy X

Recommendations of your own? Post them in the comments!