The second book of the I Am Not a Serial Killer series, Mr. Monster, begins shortly after the first. John Wayne Clever still harbors feelings of a sociopath after killing the demon, Mr. Crowley. John’s life seems to be copacetic for the moment, and improving with the growth of his relationship with Brooke as a high school girlfriend. Yet, mysterious bodies begin to appear in random, public places, and John believes a second killer is amongst the town. The last third of the book is between John and the killer with a unique twist that provides believable, psychological suspense. There, John also battles his own inner demons. The books subplots of John’s sister’s boyfriend, and Brooke tie in very well in the book’s final act.
Tag: 2010
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True Grit (2010)
True Grit, as remade by the Coen Brothers, is ok. It’s less hokey than the original with John Wayne, but plods along with a series of events strung together. Jeff Bridges as Rooster Cogburn works well as he fully embraces the character, and Hailee Steinfeld plays the spunky Mattie Ross with conviction.
I think the issue is that the movie is made to be a serious western but the incongruity of a 14 year old girl marching a one-eyed, drunken federal marshal is anything but serious. Further, the snake pit scene still feels tacked on for the sole purpose to completely redeem the Cogburn character.
The visuals and cinematography are well done and evoke a western feel.
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My songs of 2010
Below is the track listing for my 2010 songs. By no means is it exhaustive, but I focused on the songs and albums I listened to. I also left out quite a bit of music I did listen to, notably Arcade Fire, Band of Horses and Sufjan. The ordering is only a track listing and not a ranking. Also, each track is linked to an accompanying video, preferably a live version. Without further ado:
- King Charles – The Brightest Lights: This guy hails from England, and phenomenal only begins to describe how cool he is. He performs this live, acapella but repeats the verse, changing certain lines as he goes.
- The National – Terrible Love: The National write songs that you may not like on the first listen. They start slow, contain cryptic lyrics and musically, a lot goes on. After the third listen, you’re singing along. Give this song a minute to build, and then wait as it soars.
- Broken Social Scene – Meet Me In the Basement: A bouncy, jangly instrumental, perhaps the perfect waltz for an indie rock ice cream man (or woman).
- OK Go – This Too Shall Pass: They’ve come far. Far from dancing on treadmills. I’m sure they’re wiser, too. A fun song about letting go–not too many of those.
- Doug Burr – I Got This Fever / O Ye Devastator: Doug Burr’s a local guy from Denton. This is a more upbeat track, folky, catchy answering some grand questions.
- The Morning Benders – Excuses: It sounds a bit like late-era Beach Boys with the symphonic arrangement, melody swirling and progressing beat.
- Beach House – Norway: This song pulses, warming a cold, winter night.
- Girl Talk – Triple Double: Sure, that’s some Phoenix you hear at the start, but by the end, listen for Willow Smith. Girl Talk makes songs from other songs for an instant summer party mix.
- Sleigh Bells – Rill Rill: Treats (Sleigh Bells’ debut) was my summer album, and in defiant protest to Katy Perry, this was my summer song. The sugary vocals and thumping percussion make for a good drive on a summer night with the windows down.
- Yeasayer – I Remember: In love, it’s the beginning and end you remember the most. Vividly.
- Vampire Weekend – Horchata: Horchata is made differently, depending on where you are.
- The Head and the Heart – Sounds Like Hallelujah: This Pacific Northwest band deserves to be heard with their blend of folk, rock and pop.
- Bruno Mars – Count On Me: The Glee kids did this as a sugary confection, but the original keeps the punch.
- Mumford & Sons – The Cave: Knowing Mumford & Sons is like knowing a revival, a celebration of the soul with banjos and rockin’ sing alongs. See them live if you can.
- Janelle Monáe – Cold War: R&B, jazz and rock get fused together into a space opera.
- King Charles – We didn’t start the fire: Sorry for the crappy quality, but it’s the best I could find. Now, imagine if Billy Joel did update his 80s anthem.
- The National – Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks: This song, performed unplugged at the Dallas show in October, had a sold out crowd standing, singing and crying.
- Titus Andronicus – A More Perfect Union: It begins with a passage from an Abe Lincoln speech and turns into something else entirely. The vocals are raw and defiant, but I think the song’s guitar noodling is epic as it climaxes to a bar room sing along.
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Emma Donoghue – Room
Room: A Novel, by Emma Donoghue, tells the story of a boy named Jack, who lived the first five years of his life in an isolated shed. The circumstances for his sheltered life stem from his mother being kidnapped and imprisoned and bearing the kidnapper’s child, Jack. Jack narrates the story in four acts: life in the room, events leading up to the eventual escape, the escape and initial adjustment and life thereafter.
Life is the common thread throughout the four acts, and Donoghue uses language to capture the perceptive of an isolated five year old’s view of the world. Sometimes this works, and sometimes it stretches. The simple sentence structure and purposefully incorrect verb tense add to Jack’s proper naming of items within his Room–Rug, Bed, Toilet. At times Jack seems too perceptive or the innocent naivete wears thin, however, he remains an endearing character. Surprisingly, Jack describes his mother well, well enough for her character to be fully realized, and adults and infer the things Jack doesn’t know. Ma, as he calls her has done her best to educate Jack as if he received a normal upbringing.
The first two acts are tense, with the question–how will they escape, while the last two acts tend to float along as Jack and Ma adjust to their new found freedom. Everything is new to Jack–rain, bees, the entire size of the world. Ma struggles to cope with how much she’s missed, and perhaps the weakest moment of the story is her interview with a TV reporter, where the reporter superficially pities her as a poor subject and questions whether Ma made the right choice in keeping Jack. The dialogue is thin to the point of caricature–the media is only there to exploit the hottest story. Other character interactions are shallow as well in the last act, particularly that of her father.
Ultimately, the story is about Jack and his growth as his world explodes in a short period of time. Throughout, Donoghue keeps a light of hope on as she illuminates some dark corners.
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Kevin Kelly – What Technology Wants
In What Technology Wants, Kevin Kelly views technology’s evolution from multiple perspectives–the anthropologist, the sociologist, the evolutionary biologist, the technologist and the futurist. Using these perspectives, he examines his core thesis: technology is an extension of our abilities.
Broken into four sections, Origins, Imperatives, Choices and Directions he combines ideas from various disciplines with stories, documented history and deconstruction of facts. In Origins, evolutionary biology and anthropology explain humans and human interaction with technology. We began as a very simple species, and we adopted tools as we needed them. As homo sapiens evolved, our needs became more complex.
Throughout Imperatives, he documents history and science with sociology in mind–how does technology affect us as it progresses? How do we reconcile our needs and abilities as humans adapt and grow into higher order civilizations? Technology comes from lower order needs, desiring of higher order abilities.
Choices begins with Kelly stating that the Unabomber was right. Quoted at length from his manifesto, the Unabomber disdained technology due to it taking over our lives and growing beyond our control. Kelly points out the flaws in the manifesto somewhat cautiously–humans are incapable of fully living without technology. The Unabomber relied on others for tools and materials.
The last two chapters consist of Kelly’s futurist, philosopher take on where technology is going. At length, he charts Technology’s Trajectories among 10 different areas: complexity, diversity, specialization, ubiquity, freedom, mutualism, beauty, sentience, structure, evolvability. These areas are the same areas that life itself works within, he states. Lastly, in a nod to James P. Carse’s Finite and Infinite Games, Kelly believes that our relationship with technology and ideas will constantly push boundaries and seek ways to grow in order to continue.
In short, this book is full of ideas and perspectives. One particularly interesting idea he proposes is how many geniuses missed out on fully reaching their potential because they weren’t alive at the right time in history? Further, once a technology is created, in never ceases to exist. It may become rare, but it will serve a niche. If you want to get the most out of What Technology Wants in the shortest amount of time, read the last two chapters. Read the entire book for a synthesis of numerous ideas converging at once.
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Marroon 5 – Hands All Over
Hands All Over by Maroon 5 continues the jazzy, funk, keyboard and drums driven pop about love, longing for love, hurt by love, sorry for for hurting for love and redeeming oneself for love that they do well.
Of the stand out tracks: Misery kicks off and sets the tone–upbeat and thumping. Stutter is a doo-wop, sway your hips kind of song. Never Gonna Leave This Bed is carried by a soaring chorus. Out of Goodbyes, their collaboration with Lady Antebellum, works well as the albums tender, ballad closer.
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Keane – Night Train
Keane’s 31 minute EP, Night Train, is a bland assortment of mash up pop. K’naan and Tigarah guest spot (rap?) to a confusing effect. Sure, artists experiment with sounds, but you kinda have to wonder what direction, a band that built its following on piano driven anthems, the rap collaborations bring.
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Civil Twilight – Civil Twilight
You’ll like Civil Twilight‘s self-titled if you’re into electronic rock in the vein of Muse. It’s not as orchestral or jarring, but Civil Twilight brings the wailing, synth and driving melodies.