Is there really much more that I can say about these paintings beyond their obvious brilliance? No. So I won’t. The portraits are done to perfection by artist Greg Peltz. Found via Josh Spear.
Archive for category Books
greg
Jul 27
rework
Apr 13
I was just listening to a story on the NUMMI car plant closing in Fremont on a recent This American Life, and it was frustrating to listen to how GM bungled their business to bankruptcy in ’08. How could they not see what was coming? How could they be so inefficient? With this frustration hanging in the air, I was recently introduced to the book Rework. Apparently authors Jason Fried and David Hansson from 37signals, go through their strategies and dispel many of the “truisms” of business and entrepreneurism. Maybe it’s time to rethink some things. If you want to get an example of their writing check out 37signals, or the book here.
i not dead
Mar 25
Here’s a hilarious book that my friend Jon recently loaned me. If you’ve ever wondered about the inner thoughts of Bigfoot as he tries to make it through this crazy world, here’s your book. Bigfoot: I Not Dead
game of thrones
Mar 6
George R.R. Martin’s series A Song of Ice and Fire
isaac
Jan 26
The recent viewing of the film Moon has inspired me to go back and take a look at some of the great Science Fiction novels that I’ve read. Of course at the top of that list are books by the prolific Isaac Asimov, and at the top of his books would have to be his opus trilogy The Foundation
moon
Jan 25
Having already made up my mind as to which film was my favorite of the year, I present to you a very close second. Moon
is a film that harkens back to the hardcore science fiction genre, before a bunch of guys with weird haircuts, color matching swords, and lasers that had the odd ability of producing sound in a vacuum took it over in the late seventies. It’s the kind of film that has you trying to guess the outcome and figure out what exactly is going on, but does so while also assuring you that there is some kind of logic that threads everything together and that there is at least an inkling of plausibility to it. There are of course some moments where you have to suspend your disbelief on the coat rack for a bit, but they’re all things that still allow the basic rules of physics to apply and ask only that the audience allow for the “it could happen in the future” explanation to be instituted. Sam Rockwell makes up pretty much the entire film and should get the nod for best actor at the oscars this year (this would only happen in a universe where the basic rules of logic were used by the Academy), while Kevin Spacey fills the role of his trusty computer Gerty. This film has me thinking of rereading some of the Sci Fi classics from yore, and posting about them here so that Science Fiction can begin to take back its reputation from the crap that’s appropriating the title these days. Check out the trailer for the film here.
legend of the seeker
Dec 26
It’s been my experience that everyone has a dirty little secret. Some of us read US Weekly, some really like toy trains, and some watch really bad reality TV. Mine, since I was young, has been the fantasy genre. I can count on one hand the number fantasy novels that I would say are actually good literature, and yet I’ve read far more than a handful in my lifetime. Formulaic? Yes, in general they are. Corny? Oh the heights of corniness I have seen. Fun? Yes. This and the sense of escapism that they bring makes me keep coming back to the genre. It is with this being said, that I present to you Legend of the Seeker. It’s a fantasy series based on the books of Terry Goodkind, that follows the prototypical Hero through the gorgeous landscape of New Zealand (oddly I think that I’ve seen this before), as he fights baddies with beautiful women and a wise wizard. The acting? Questionable. The story? Good to passable to laughable. Do I watch it every week despite all of this. Yes.
a soldier of the great war
Dec 15
As long as we’re talking about favorites, I may as well bring up one of my favorite books of all time. A Soldier of the Great War
is a beautifully written book by Mark Helprin
mr. fantastic
Dec 13
There is indeed something fantastic about Mr. Fox. Up until I saw The Fantastic Mr. Fox last night, I thought that it was a relatively quiet year for moviedom, with exceptions of course (i.e. Star Trek). An adaptation of the beloved children’s book by Roald Dahl, the story follows the exploits and adventures of Mr. Fox who is voiced perfectly by George Clooney. The regular cast of characters show up for the director Wes Anderson for his best film since the inimitable The Royal Tenenbaums. Watch it.
