There is a quote from Sigmund Freud that has some bearing on this review. "Sometimes a Cigar is just a cigar." We put to much thought into something where it isn't needed. What is on the surface is all there really is. Such is the case with the Clint Eastwood film "American Sniper."
Released earlier this year, American Sniper is a war film that tells story of Navy Seal sniper Chris Kyle during his tours of duty in Iraq, and his home life. Over the course of the film we watch his early life, the reasons why he joined the military, and the effects of his tours in Iraq on his home life. All three of Clint Eastwod's recent war films, "Flags of our Fathers", "Letters from Iwo Jima", and "American Sniper", are all in the same vain, how war effects the individual and their home life, as well as those around them. If that is the case then, how did "American Sniper" become one of the most controversial war films made in recent times?
The primary argument against the film is that it is anti-Muslim. To put it bluntly, it isn't anti-Muslim. Would the world prefer that we rewrite the story so that they were all Germans with swastikas attached to their uniforms? Would that make everyone happy? History is history, and should not be altered to fit someones ideals. The film is going to show him fighting Muslim terrorists, there is not much else he would be fighting in Iraq at that time. Plus, it's a war film, which generally aren't the friendliest films made. The point of the matter is that you can't change history based on a whim, or what you feel is politically correct.
Many like minded people have taken to boycotting, or even banning the film outright, many of them college students. They push the argument that is anti-Muslim, but this a surface look, and not the meat of the movie, what it is truly about. It's a biography of a man who did everything he could do to protect his fellow soldiers as the people who lived there, as well as the effect the war had on his physiology. Not to be insulting, but I would figure that college students would be open minded people with the ability and desire to look deeper into a film and discuss the finer points of the film and it's merits.
Overall, the movie is a fantastic war film and biopic. If you get a chance, you should watch it regardless of your faith or political leaning. Keep an open mind about the film, same for any movie. Like all well done historical films, it is telling a story based on fact without the intention of putting a political spin on it and to be as accurate to the source as possible. But it's also good to have heroes who faced a struggle to the best of their ability, and from what the movie shows us, he was a guardian to the men fighting in the streets and a guardian to them at home. Yes he said some disparaging remarks about Muslims, but do expect some who has seen what he has seen to constantly think that he might offend someone with his words? Men and women who have not see war, like the majority of us, what he saw, it is hard for us to comprehend. The issue is we put these people on pedestals, and when they don't turn on like the typical comic book superhero, we denigrate them and throw them to the dirt. So let's stop judging people based on their careers, and putting certain ones up on a high place. He is a hero, to those whose lives were spared and went back home to their families. As for the movie, a cigar is just a cigar.
Thursday, April 30, 2015
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
An Update of Sorts
I missed last week's post, sorry about that. Work, Dungeons & Dragons (yes, 26 years old and I play it), and trying to build the universe around the epic I have been building have devoured much of my time. As well as experimenting in script writing, I have been drafting a script for an adaption of The Silmarillion in the same vain as Game of Thrones. I'm not an actual script writer, just dabbling in it, see what I can come up with; and there is not actual Silmarillion TV show being planned as far as I know, unfortunately.
So en-light of scheduling issues, I will be moving the updates again to Wednesday. That should give me ample time and room to put something together. I should have something ready by mid tomorrow!
Again, sorry for the lack of updates and Thanks for reading!
So en-light of scheduling issues, I will be moving the updates again to Wednesday. That should give me ample time and room to put something together. I should have something ready by mid tomorrow!
Again, sorry for the lack of updates and Thanks for reading!
Thursday, April 9, 2015
Apple, Why so thin?
Sorry for the dely, here it is:
The recent trend in Apple devices is to make them as thin as possible, to the point where, in twenty years, we will have a iPad thiner than a piece of paper (knowing apple it would probably be regular printer paper with cloud connectivity). While I was enthralled with the new MacPro, aka “The Trash Can”, I was disappointed the unveiling of their new MacBook Pro. I am by no means an expert on computer hardware, but making the RAM part of the motherboard never seemed like a good idea to me. I've liked the idea of being able to take apart easily fix and replace components. My current laptop, a Mid-2012 Macbook Pro, opens up from the bottom and everything is laid out, easy enough to fix.
Recently, Apple released the new Macbook, potentially their thinest and lightest laptop ever, even more than the Macbook Air. From what I have heard and read, they should have just switched the titles of both machines. While it is impressive and innovative with's fanless design, battery that forms to all available space, more sensitive and tactile mouse pad and keyboard, retina display, and the smallest logic board they have ever built, there are quite a few flaws with it. For one thing, if something breaks on this laptop, it's probably cheaper to replace the whole thing rather than have that component replaced. Then there is the USB Type -C port, only one port for external monitors, hard drives, devices, and your power cable; and you need an adapter (which will likely run you $50 to $70) and you can't have the power and another device running off it at the same time, so I have been told. Your other port, is a headphone jack.
I love Apple, their devices have been innovative and beautiful at the same time, and their operating system, Mac OS, is by far the easiest and most secure operating system to use. Very rarely have I had an issue with my apple computers, more than likely it was my own fault because I like to fiddle with computers to much. My only issue, has been the price, they are the most expensive by far, it's the reason I own a "Hackintosh." But love of Apple has been strained by their sudden anorexia, obviously no one wants a laptop that weighs twenty pounds or a desktop that is basically a desk, but where do you draw the line? When do you say you can't go any further, that it's to much?
I my own opinion, the Mid-2012 MacBook Pro, that I am writing this on, is the last, best, laptop they ever built. It's fairly lightweight, about half an inch thick, and easily repairable and upgradeable. But the recent trend in computers seems to be "the throwaway computer." If something breaks, you go to an apple store, or any electronics store and get a new one, you're up and running again within an hour of the issue, and your programs and files are stored on the cloud (that's a another rant i'll go into later). It's efficient, especially in our fast paced world, time is money in any business and you want to be get going as fast as possible. In the home and non-business use, who wants to wait for repairs to get on "Facebook" or "Netflix" again.
The issue I have with this is that computers become more akin to paper than machine. Yes, the current trend is more efficient, but we eventually create a society that doesn't care about buying something of good quality, and not to sound materialistic, but it is yours. Jeremy Clarkson said it best "It's what non-car people don't get. They see all cars as just ton-and-a-half, two-tons of wires, glass, metal and rubber. That's all they see. People like you or I know, we have an unshakeable belief that cars are living entities. You can develop a relationship with a car. And that's just what non-car people don't get." In some respect you can place that on our relationship with our computers, they go with us or wait for us on our desks, they help us create, game, do business, communicate, and an innumerable amount of things. Yes it is an inanimate object, but is kind of like a friend, and we shouldn't devalue it.
Sorry for going off topic, but I think it's an issue with all devices that we buy and we should try to take better care of our devices, and Apple is partly responsible for this problem. I don't want Apple to stop innovating, they have pushed technology to new limits and created devices that have improved our lives. But to what sacrifice; to create devices that are less efficient machines. Yes, sometimes progress at the expense of connivence, but there is the fear that Apple, without Steve Jobs, may return to the way it was in the 90s, creating to many machines and devices that are way too expensive, and there is not to much difference except for a better operating system. Most people will go for what's cheaper.
There is also the fear that Apple is trying to appeal to people who use apple products for the image, not their capabilities, ignoring the people who have stuck by them for years. In many ways, Apple has always been about image, many of their designs have been stunning, like the Lamborghini or Ferrari of computers, fast and awesome to looks at, but still expensive. But now, with the release of the apple watch, and the high end version of it, the "Edition", is $10,000 because it has gold in it, utter lunacy! There are no technical differences between the different versions, your spending an exuberant amount of money on an image showing how rich you are. Give some credit though to the new MacBook though, if it truly works as they intended, it's an amazing achievement in computer engineering, but for practicality, the new Google Chrome Pixel has two Type C-Ports and two regular usb ports, then again, why would you pay $1000 for a netbook?
I digress, in short, what Apple needs to do is decide whether they want form or function, image or innovation, and who they want to appeal to. At lest to me, Apple seems to be trying appeal more to the image setters, than those who like powerful and beautiful machines. You can have form and function, image and innovation, and appeal to both sets of people. The true Apple fan has loved the idea that you can get something so awesome looking on your desk and that it is powerful enough to run graphics programs, and games, open at the same time, and yes there are games for Mac OS. But they should be careful not fall back into the state they were back in the 1990's with no direction and an endless stream of failed products that were too overpriced, there won't be a second coming of Steve Jobs. Again, innovation does come with a cost, and only time will tell where that will eventually lead.
The recent trend in Apple devices is to make them as thin as possible, to the point where, in twenty years, we will have a iPad thiner than a piece of paper (knowing apple it would probably be regular printer paper with cloud connectivity). While I was enthralled with the new MacPro, aka “The Trash Can”, I was disappointed the unveiling of their new MacBook Pro. I am by no means an expert on computer hardware, but making the RAM part of the motherboard never seemed like a good idea to me. I've liked the idea of being able to take apart easily fix and replace components. My current laptop, a Mid-2012 Macbook Pro, opens up from the bottom and everything is laid out, easy enough to fix.
Recently, Apple released the new Macbook, potentially their thinest and lightest laptop ever, even more than the Macbook Air. From what I have heard and read, they should have just switched the titles of both machines. While it is impressive and innovative with's fanless design, battery that forms to all available space, more sensitive and tactile mouse pad and keyboard, retina display, and the smallest logic board they have ever built, there are quite a few flaws with it. For one thing, if something breaks on this laptop, it's probably cheaper to replace the whole thing rather than have that component replaced. Then there is the USB Type -C port, only one port for external monitors, hard drives, devices, and your power cable; and you need an adapter (which will likely run you $50 to $70) and you can't have the power and another device running off it at the same time, so I have been told. Your other port, is a headphone jack.
I love Apple, their devices have been innovative and beautiful at the same time, and their operating system, Mac OS, is by far the easiest and most secure operating system to use. Very rarely have I had an issue with my apple computers, more than likely it was my own fault because I like to fiddle with computers to much. My only issue, has been the price, they are the most expensive by far, it's the reason I own a "Hackintosh." But love of Apple has been strained by their sudden anorexia, obviously no one wants a laptop that weighs twenty pounds or a desktop that is basically a desk, but where do you draw the line? When do you say you can't go any further, that it's to much?
I my own opinion, the Mid-2012 MacBook Pro, that I am writing this on, is the last, best, laptop they ever built. It's fairly lightweight, about half an inch thick, and easily repairable and upgradeable. But the recent trend in computers seems to be "the throwaway computer." If something breaks, you go to an apple store, or any electronics store and get a new one, you're up and running again within an hour of the issue, and your programs and files are stored on the cloud (that's a another rant i'll go into later). It's efficient, especially in our fast paced world, time is money in any business and you want to be get going as fast as possible. In the home and non-business use, who wants to wait for repairs to get on "Facebook" or "Netflix" again.
The issue I have with this is that computers become more akin to paper than machine. Yes, the current trend is more efficient, but we eventually create a society that doesn't care about buying something of good quality, and not to sound materialistic, but it is yours. Jeremy Clarkson said it best "It's what non-car people don't get. They see all cars as just ton-and-a-half, two-tons of wires, glass, metal and rubber. That's all they see. People like you or I know, we have an unshakeable belief that cars are living entities. You can develop a relationship with a car. And that's just what non-car people don't get." In some respect you can place that on our relationship with our computers, they go with us or wait for us on our desks, they help us create, game, do business, communicate, and an innumerable amount of things. Yes it is an inanimate object, but is kind of like a friend, and we shouldn't devalue it.
Sorry for going off topic, but I think it's an issue with all devices that we buy and we should try to take better care of our devices, and Apple is partly responsible for this problem. I don't want Apple to stop innovating, they have pushed technology to new limits and created devices that have improved our lives. But to what sacrifice; to create devices that are less efficient machines. Yes, sometimes progress at the expense of connivence, but there is the fear that Apple, without Steve Jobs, may return to the way it was in the 90s, creating to many machines and devices that are way too expensive, and there is not to much difference except for a better operating system. Most people will go for what's cheaper.
There is also the fear that Apple is trying to appeal to people who use apple products for the image, not their capabilities, ignoring the people who have stuck by them for years. In many ways, Apple has always been about image, many of their designs have been stunning, like the Lamborghini or Ferrari of computers, fast and awesome to looks at, but still expensive. But now, with the release of the apple watch, and the high end version of it, the "Edition", is $10,000 because it has gold in it, utter lunacy! There are no technical differences between the different versions, your spending an exuberant amount of money on an image showing how rich you are. Give some credit though to the new MacBook though, if it truly works as they intended, it's an amazing achievement in computer engineering, but for practicality, the new Google Chrome Pixel has two Type C-Ports and two regular usb ports, then again, why would you pay $1000 for a netbook?
I digress, in short, what Apple needs to do is decide whether they want form or function, image or innovation, and who they want to appeal to. At lest to me, Apple seems to be trying appeal more to the image setters, than those who like powerful and beautiful machines. You can have form and function, image and innovation, and appeal to both sets of people. The true Apple fan has loved the idea that you can get something so awesome looking on your desk and that it is powerful enough to run graphics programs, and games, open at the same time, and yes there are games for Mac OS. But they should be careful not fall back into the state they were back in the 1990's with no direction and an endless stream of failed products that were too overpriced, there won't be a second coming of Steve Jobs. Again, innovation does come with a cost, and only time will tell where that will eventually lead.
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