So I Saw Harry Potter 7.2 This Weekend...

I really enjoyed both Book 7 movies. Compared to the books, I've never been a huge fan of the movies. Yes, I saw most of them opening night, but very few of them have I ever felt the need to watch again. To the screenwriters' credit, I feel they had an immensely difficult job of not only adapting a beloved book series, but also adapting a large, arching story where, for the most part, the ending wasn't known yet. I think the book 7 movies were their best. A lot of people moaned about the studio fishing for more profits by splitting it into two parts, but I really appreciated the fact that they could take their time and tell the story, rather than rushing through. It gave time for both the storytelling and to take advantages of the visual format.

I divided my thoughts into categories:

Table of Catan

This is so many kinds of awesome. I especially liked the multiple spots for the resource cards. And cup holders that can fit pop cans? It's like it was made for the Knight's Lodge. I would like to see a picture of it with the regular sized board. It's also a shame that it doesn't fit Seafarers. That it doesn't totally makes sense as that board can be all kinds of shapes, but that is also exactly what makes it more frustrating to play.

I still realllllly want this.

[Table of Catan]

The Purpose of Science Fiction

Back in January, Slate posted this great little article by Robert J. Sawyer about the purpose of science fiction, other than entertainment:

"At the core of science fiction is the notion of extrapolation, of asking, "If this goes on, where will it lead?" [...] That said, our job is not to predict the future. Rather, it's to suggest all the possible futures—so that society can make informed decisions about where we want to go." 

I once met a guy who didn't read any fiction. His argument was fiction isn't real and therefore it was a waste to spend time on something that had no real-life applications.  As an avid reader I was shocked by such a mentality (actually I think this was my reaction). I'm really excited that this article points out that there is more to reading than mere escapism and articulates that point much better than I could.

I also want to plug author Sylvia Endahl, especially Enchantress from the Stars and its sequel The Far Side of Evil. Even though they were published in the 70s, the issues the ponder are still relevant today.


[The Purpose of Science Fiction]

Earthquakes and politics

City Journal's Claire Berlinski wrote a fantastic article about earthquakes and urbanization, highlighting the gap between what we can do and what we enable ourselves to do:

So we understand enough about seismology to be sure that certain cities face a high risk of earthquakes with enormous death tolls, and we understand enough about engineering and disaster management to say exactly what should be done to protect the residents of those cities. What we don’t understand—or rather, what we’re seldom willing to say plainly—is why some governments take the risk seriously and take aggressive steps to mitigate it, while others shrug and say, Que será, será.

While the steps to take to minimize earthquake damage risks are by no means cheap, quick, or easy, the technology works yet people's livelihoods are being risked on politics. Not cool, leaders, not cool at all.


[1 Million Dead in 30 Seconds]