Back in 2003 when Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix came out I tried a very scientifically un-rigorous experiment. Since I had read somewhere how many words the book contained I timed myself and figured out how long it took me to polish it off. The book has 257,045 words and I read it in a little over 6 hours. My final calculation was that I was reading 11.3 words per second. Not too shabby. Clearly I read, say, Kant a lot slower, but the point is that my brain can actually recognize and string together over 11 words a second.
Found this website Spreeder a while back, and found it quite frustrating. It presents the words you copy into it one at a time at a rate of your choosing, each word getting the same amount of time. This seems very odd to me, but I can’t read as fast using it. The most I can get coherently in this format is about 500 words a minute. That’s a 25% reduction in speed! But, string words together and give them more of a context and I’m back on track. Timed myself reading this NY Times Article earlier today (oddly enough, the article was about online reading and was also the impetus for this blog entry) and clocked in at 11.2 words a second. So it’s not my speed reading skill that has decreased, it’s the format. I find that very interesting.
So, head on over to Spreeder and give your brain a whirl. (You can also use it to calculate word totals to try reading the "normal" way.) I’m interested if anybody else has the same problem I do. How fast do you read words one by one versus strung out like normal?
Monday, July 28, 2008
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Review of The Dark Knight
So I went to see The Dark Knight on Saturday with a bunch of my friends. I always enjoy watching movies with them--especially with Anders, a friend from high school who apparently has the IMDb downloaded into his brain. So here’s my review, and it will have a few minor spoilers.
This is not a comic book movie. This is a graphic novel movie. What’s the difference between a comic book and a graphic novel? That’s a good question, and one we could spend a lot of time arguing about. I would say, at least initially, that a graphic novel is a comic that tries to deal with more serious issues. V for Vendetta comes to mind. So if you are still thinking that the Adam West Batman is the definitive version of Batman . . . you are so fired! This movie is more in line with Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns, the 1986 reboot of the comic book franchise that has Batman calling Superman “a joke” and naming himself “a political liability” because of their respective responses to a Cold War-induced nuclear worldwide blackout. Serious issues? Check. This movie follows suit by showcasing some serious moral dilemmas. The Joker here is written perfectly. He’s simply interested in chaos and seeing everybody run around crazy-like. So when he tells a character “it’s not personal” you know he actually means it. Gotham is his play-pen, and he goes to town on it. So what do ordinary citizens do when things like this happen? It’s a very interesting cinematic discussion of the issue of human nature.
Frankly, all of the actors are stupendous—most notably Heath Ledger, who so disappeared into the role that I never even saw Ledger in the movie. But that Joker guy? He was creepy! I had my doubts and really thought there couldn’t be anybody who topped Paul Dini’s writing combined with Mark Hamill’s maniacal laughter from Batman: The Animated Series but Ledger does indeed top that. I was also happy to have the role of Rachel Dawes recast. Maggie Gyllenhall can act circles around Katie Holmes any day, and Aaron Echkart is stunning as Harvey Dent, Gotham’s new D.A. All of the returning cast also put in great performances. I think it all worked marvelously as an ensemble piece.
Improvements over the last movie are myriad, but the one thing I was most pleased with was the action. Batman Begins tried two things, one of which was interesting, the other which requires Paul Greengrass (or somebody like him) to be successful. First it tried to show Batman from the criminal’s perspective . . . a sound here, a shadow there, until you are suddenly sucked up into the sky or attacked by some cloaked figure who shows up out of nowhere. And I think it worked quite well. Second, it tried to be the Jason Bourne movies with quick camera cuts and shaky filming. Sorry, but it just didn’t work. Luckily, Chris Nolan realized this and filmed the action sequences much more deliberately in this sequel. You can watch Batman doing his thing, follow his movements, and yet still get a sense of impending terror from the criminals he’s fighting. Of particular note is the scene where he flies into a building, smacks down a bunch of mobster bodyguards, and makes off with a mob accountant in less than 2 minutes.
I did have one minor complaint. There were two points in the movie at which I felt there were deliberate edits in order to cut offensive scenes and rate the movie PG-13. “But Carl, don’t we want it to be PG-13.” Yes, sort of. As I see it, there are 3 options. You can either (in order of my preference) a) write the script so the R-rated scenes don’t happen, b) make it R-rated, or c) edit the scenes so it feels deliberately cut for a rating. When I feel that something has been cut like that, it jolts me out of the movie and I don’t want that to happen. Avoiding being yanked out of the movie is the priority, as I like my escapism pure, thank you very much. It only happened twice, but there you have it. I should say I was so engrossed in the rest of the movie that when the credits started to roll that was when I realized the air conditioning was out in the theatre. It was nice to go outside into the cool 90 degree heat afterwards. That’s how engrossed I was in the movie. That’s how much Chris Nolan, Christian Bale, and the rest of the group were able to pull me into it. Bravo!
Final Score: 98/100
This is not a comic book movie. This is a graphic novel movie. What’s the difference between a comic book and a graphic novel? That’s a good question, and one we could spend a lot of time arguing about. I would say, at least initially, that a graphic novel is a comic that tries to deal with more serious issues. V for Vendetta comes to mind. So if you are still thinking that the Adam West Batman is the definitive version of Batman . . . you are so fired! This movie is more in line with Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns, the 1986 reboot of the comic book franchise that has Batman calling Superman “a joke” and naming himself “a political liability” because of their respective responses to a Cold War-induced nuclear worldwide blackout. Serious issues? Check. This movie follows suit by showcasing some serious moral dilemmas. The Joker here is written perfectly. He’s simply interested in chaos and seeing everybody run around crazy-like. So when he tells a character “it’s not personal” you know he actually means it. Gotham is his play-pen, and he goes to town on it. So what do ordinary citizens do when things like this happen? It’s a very interesting cinematic discussion of the issue of human nature.
Frankly, all of the actors are stupendous—most notably Heath Ledger, who so disappeared into the role that I never even saw Ledger in the movie. But that Joker guy? He was creepy! I had my doubts and really thought there couldn’t be anybody who topped Paul Dini’s writing combined with Mark Hamill’s maniacal laughter from Batman: The Animated Series but Ledger does indeed top that. I was also happy to have the role of Rachel Dawes recast. Maggie Gyllenhall can act circles around Katie Holmes any day, and Aaron Echkart is stunning as Harvey Dent, Gotham’s new D.A. All of the returning cast also put in great performances. I think it all worked marvelously as an ensemble piece.
Improvements over the last movie are myriad, but the one thing I was most pleased with was the action. Batman Begins tried two things, one of which was interesting, the other which requires Paul Greengrass (or somebody like him) to be successful. First it tried to show Batman from the criminal’s perspective . . . a sound here, a shadow there, until you are suddenly sucked up into the sky or attacked by some cloaked figure who shows up out of nowhere. And I think it worked quite well. Second, it tried to be the Jason Bourne movies with quick camera cuts and shaky filming. Sorry, but it just didn’t work. Luckily, Chris Nolan realized this and filmed the action sequences much more deliberately in this sequel. You can watch Batman doing his thing, follow his movements, and yet still get a sense of impending terror from the criminals he’s fighting. Of particular note is the scene where he flies into a building, smacks down a bunch of mobster bodyguards, and makes off with a mob accountant in less than 2 minutes.
I did have one minor complaint. There were two points in the movie at which I felt there were deliberate edits in order to cut offensive scenes and rate the movie PG-13. “But Carl, don’t we want it to be PG-13.” Yes, sort of. As I see it, there are 3 options. You can either (in order of my preference) a) write the script so the R-rated scenes don’t happen, b) make it R-rated, or c) edit the scenes so it feels deliberately cut for a rating. When I feel that something has been cut like that, it jolts me out of the movie and I don’t want that to happen. Avoiding being yanked out of the movie is the priority, as I like my escapism pure, thank you very much. It only happened twice, but there you have it. I should say I was so engrossed in the rest of the movie that when the credits started to roll that was when I realized the air conditioning was out in the theatre. It was nice to go outside into the cool 90 degree heat afterwards. That’s how engrossed I was in the movie. That’s how much Chris Nolan, Christian Bale, and the rest of the group were able to pull me into it. Bravo!
Final Score: 98/100
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Gettin' Skinny
The purpose of this blog entry is to announce that I’m back on my “getting skinny” program.
I entered the MTC in May 2000 weighing 135 pounds and haven’t weighed that little since. I hit the mission field weighing 150 and fluctuated between 145 (while on Hydroxycut for a week, a diet pill of sorts that's made me swear diet pills off forever) and 165 over the course of my time in New York, returning at 155. Eventually, I climbed back up to 160, and decided that I would not let myself gain any more weight. I also made this promise at 170, and was about to make it at 180 when I decided enough was enough. That and my friend Anders keeps buying me t-shirts that are one size too small, and I can't wear them without looking ridiculous.
I took the BYU jogging class winter semester and cut back on my food intake, mostly by eating smaller dinners. From January to May of this year I lost 15 pounds, and by the end was running 3 times a week at about an hour each. After May I stopped exercising as much and slowly climbed up to 171. I was pleased that the gain was as slow as it was, about a pound every 2 weeks, but decided a bit ago it was time to get going again. Started up last week and was able to easily do 50 pushups and 100 crunches on day 1. My jogging ability, I’m sad to say, has atrophied much faster and I only ran a total of 75 minutes last week.
My goal is to get down to 150 pounds by the end of the year. The diet plan is simple. Eat a big lunch. Don’t eat a big dinner and no eating after 8 p.m. (exception once a week). For exercise, get back up to three times a week of jogging one hour, and keep weightlifting. However, the weights will be a goal of high reps with low weight. I don't need to bulk up, I need to tone the bulk that I naturally have.
Here’s what I’m currently doing for exercise, i.e., what I did last week:
S: Rest.
M: 50 pushups, 100 crunches.
T: Rest.
W: Jogging, 45 minutes.
Th: 50 pushups, 100 crunches.
F: Rest.
Sat: Jogging, 30 minutes.
Eventually I want to be at:
S: Rest.
M: Jogging, 1 hour.
T: Weights (or a minimum 100 pushups, 200 crunches).
W: Jogging, 1 hour.
Th or F: Weights (or a minimum 100 pushups, 200 crunches).
Sat: Jogging, 1 hour.
I will adjust this as needed, most likely by substituting swimming for jogging if my knees have a fit, but so far so good. I lost 3 pounds in the last week and a half.
I don’t want to call myself out of shape. My resting heart rate is actually quite good (60-65 beats per minute) and I can knock out 50 pushups in a row. My waistline has shrunk significantly and it’s almost time to buy new pants because of that. (Some studies indicate that waist circumference is a better indicator of health than even your Body-Mass Index. At least in my case it appears the study is right, because my BMI says I’m a hair’s breadth from obese yet my waist is well within “normal,” though the higher end of “normal,” and that seems more accurate to me.) Nonetheless, I would like to look a little better and could stand to lose a bit more of my weight. 18 pounds to go by December, which is 22 weeks away. So about 1 pound a week.
Wish me luck.
And for further reading:
NY Times on Pushups
BMI vs. Waist Circumference
An Inspirational Story for Me, About a Friend I Met Through WarCraft
I entered the MTC in May 2000 weighing 135 pounds and haven’t weighed that little since. I hit the mission field weighing 150 and fluctuated between 145 (while on Hydroxycut for a week, a diet pill of sorts that's made me swear diet pills off forever) and 165 over the course of my time in New York, returning at 155. Eventually, I climbed back up to 160, and decided that I would not let myself gain any more weight. I also made this promise at 170, and was about to make it at 180 when I decided enough was enough. That and my friend Anders keeps buying me t-shirts that are one size too small, and I can't wear them without looking ridiculous.
I took the BYU jogging class winter semester and cut back on my food intake, mostly by eating smaller dinners. From January to May of this year I lost 15 pounds, and by the end was running 3 times a week at about an hour each. After May I stopped exercising as much and slowly climbed up to 171. I was pleased that the gain was as slow as it was, about a pound every 2 weeks, but decided a bit ago it was time to get going again. Started up last week and was able to easily do 50 pushups and 100 crunches on day 1. My jogging ability, I’m sad to say, has atrophied much faster and I only ran a total of 75 minutes last week.
My goal is to get down to 150 pounds by the end of the year. The diet plan is simple. Eat a big lunch. Don’t eat a big dinner and no eating after 8 p.m. (exception once a week). For exercise, get back up to three times a week of jogging one hour, and keep weightlifting. However, the weights will be a goal of high reps with low weight. I don't need to bulk up, I need to tone the bulk that I naturally have.
Here’s what I’m currently doing for exercise, i.e., what I did last week:
S: Rest.
M: 50 pushups, 100 crunches.
T: Rest.
W: Jogging, 45 minutes.
Th: 50 pushups, 100 crunches.
F: Rest.
Sat: Jogging, 30 minutes.
Eventually I want to be at:
S: Rest.
M: Jogging, 1 hour.
T: Weights (or a minimum 100 pushups, 200 crunches).
W: Jogging, 1 hour.
Th or F: Weights (or a minimum 100 pushups, 200 crunches).
Sat: Jogging, 1 hour.
I will adjust this as needed, most likely by substituting swimming for jogging if my knees have a fit, but so far so good. I lost 3 pounds in the last week and a half.
I don’t want to call myself out of shape. My resting heart rate is actually quite good (60-65 beats per minute) and I can knock out 50 pushups in a row. My waistline has shrunk significantly and it’s almost time to buy new pants because of that. (Some studies indicate that waist circumference is a better indicator of health than even your Body-Mass Index. At least in my case it appears the study is right, because my BMI says I’m a hair’s breadth from obese yet my waist is well within “normal,” though the higher end of “normal,” and that seems more accurate to me.) Nonetheless, I would like to look a little better and could stand to lose a bit more of my weight. 18 pounds to go by December, which is 22 weeks away. So about 1 pound a week.
Wish me luck.
And for further reading:
NY Times on Pushups
BMI vs. Waist Circumference
An Inspirational Story for Me, About a Friend I Met Through WarCraft
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
New Wedding Tradition–Car Washing!
So Allan, one of my best friends, got married recently to his sweetheart Haylee and he gave me the keeping of the keys of his car during the reception. Basically, he didn’t want to have his car “decorated” to look like a mentally retarded kid had played with a bottle of toothpaste on his car and then had it sprayed with confetti. So I showed up at the reception, went through the line, got the keys from him, and ate some cake. As I was getting ready to leave his little sister, his wife’s little sister, and their spouses approached the car. They said they wanted to put some goodies in it for their honeymoon. I was skeptical, but I can’t exactly stop the four of them from following me.
Lo and behold, they want to decorate the car. I say, “no.” They insist. I say “no” yet again—more firmly. Then I notice the package of Oreos one of them is holding. “NO OREOS!” This lovely exchange continues for a few minutes until finally one says, “Why you gotta be such a Nazi?” My initial thought was, “Why you gotta be such a dork?” What I actually said was more along the lines of, “Allan doesn’t want his car trashed, so I’m going to move it now. If you get behind me, it’s not my problem.” I then get in the car and proceed to go backwards. At this point they’re stuffing balloons in the backseat and I, apparently, almost run over one guy’s foot. They get mad, I get more amused, and Haylee’s little sister hurriedly writes “Just Married” on the back window and does some swirlies on a few of the other windows. I’m still not sure what she was using. I manage to get away and as I’m driving to the decided upon place I roll the window down and try to scratch some of it off. It flakes right off and I figure the damage wasn’t so bad and it was a good combination of appeasing Allan’s desire to not have his car trashed and their desire to trash it. Then I look backwards to check my blind spot as I’m changing lanes.
There’s a single Oreo plastered to the back passenger-side window.
That’s it.
I called my cohort in hiding the car, Sam, and said “We need to find a carwash.” We located one, and then washed Allan’s car before parking it somewhere and then heading back to the reception. After everything finishes up, I go and get the car and with much amusement notice the looks of dismay on the faces of those who had attempted to decorate it. As Haylee gets in the car I’m getting out of the driver’s seat. She turns to me and says, “Carl, you’re amazing.” I say, “I am, thank you!” With that, Allan and Haylee drive off into the sunset to start their new life together.
With that story in mind, I have this to say concerning the tradition of decorating the newlywed’s car: It is an abomination. It’s a terrible idea. It’s a false tradition of our fathers that I have never wanted to perpetuate and have been explicitly clear that I do not want my car decorated in any way, shape, or form for my wedding. I intend to have Allan and another friend Anders walking around my car in full camouflage gear wielding swords, knives, and airsoft guns, if they’ll go for it. I mean, what nutcase thought it was a good idea anyway? Marthastewart.com says “It's great fun when the wedding party surprises the newlyweds by adorning the getaway vehicle with items that declare ‘just married’ as loudly and proudly as possible.” Actually, it’s not great fun. It’s stupid. What newly married couple wants to have a carwash hanging over their heads on their wedding night?
So, my announcement: Henceforth from now into eternity, I, Carl Cranney, will gladly take anybody’s car during their reception and give it a nice cleaning. For Free.
To Allan and Haylee, thank you for the impetus for this tradition and congratulations again. To the dorks who wanted to decorate the car when the groom had specifically wished for that not to happen, you’re fired. (Especially Allan’s little sister, Mandy, who had Allan hide her car at her reception for the exact same reason. That strikes me as ridiculously hypocritical.)
To sum up, I’m starting my own tradition to spit in the face of the other one.
P.S. Again, for the record, I’m reserving a special place in hell for anybody who decorates my car at my wedding reception. Right next to the child molesters and people who talk at the theatre.
Lo and behold, they want to decorate the car. I say, “no.” They insist. I say “no” yet again—more firmly. Then I notice the package of Oreos one of them is holding. “NO OREOS!” This lovely exchange continues for a few minutes until finally one says, “Why you gotta be such a Nazi?” My initial thought was, “Why you gotta be such a dork?” What I actually said was more along the lines of, “Allan doesn’t want his car trashed, so I’m going to move it now. If you get behind me, it’s not my problem.” I then get in the car and proceed to go backwards. At this point they’re stuffing balloons in the backseat and I, apparently, almost run over one guy’s foot. They get mad, I get more amused, and Haylee’s little sister hurriedly writes “Just Married” on the back window and does some swirlies on a few of the other windows. I’m still not sure what she was using. I manage to get away and as I’m driving to the decided upon place I roll the window down and try to scratch some of it off. It flakes right off and I figure the damage wasn’t so bad and it was a good combination of appeasing Allan’s desire to not have his car trashed and their desire to trash it. Then I look backwards to check my blind spot as I’m changing lanes.
There’s a single Oreo plastered to the back passenger-side window.
That’s it.
I called my cohort in hiding the car, Sam, and said “We need to find a carwash.” We located one, and then washed Allan’s car before parking it somewhere and then heading back to the reception. After everything finishes up, I go and get the car and with much amusement notice the looks of dismay on the faces of those who had attempted to decorate it. As Haylee gets in the car I’m getting out of the driver’s seat. She turns to me and says, “Carl, you’re amazing.” I say, “I am, thank you!” With that, Allan and Haylee drive off into the sunset to start their new life together.
With that story in mind, I have this to say concerning the tradition of decorating the newlywed’s car: It is an abomination. It’s a terrible idea. It’s a false tradition of our fathers that I have never wanted to perpetuate and have been explicitly clear that I do not want my car decorated in any way, shape, or form for my wedding. I intend to have Allan and another friend Anders walking around my car in full camouflage gear wielding swords, knives, and airsoft guns, if they’ll go for it. I mean, what nutcase thought it was a good idea anyway? Marthastewart.com says “It's great fun when the wedding party surprises the newlyweds by adorning the getaway vehicle with items that declare ‘just married’ as loudly and proudly as possible.” Actually, it’s not great fun. It’s stupid. What newly married couple wants to have a carwash hanging over their heads on their wedding night?
So, my announcement: Henceforth from now into eternity, I, Carl Cranney, will gladly take anybody’s car during their reception and give it a nice cleaning. For Free.
To Allan and Haylee, thank you for the impetus for this tradition and congratulations again. To the dorks who wanted to decorate the car when the groom had specifically wished for that not to happen, you’re fired. (Especially Allan’s little sister, Mandy, who had Allan hide her car at her reception for the exact same reason. That strikes me as ridiculously hypocritical.)
To sum up, I’m starting my own tradition to spit in the face of the other one.
P.S. Again, for the record, I’m reserving a special place in hell for anybody who decorates my car at my wedding reception. Right next to the child molesters and people who talk at the theatre.
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