"i just cut your arm off!" "Did not." "It's right there." "Just a flesh wound."

Probably everyone who's seen the infamous "Black Knight" skit remembers King Arthur defeating the Black Knight. King Arthur cuts off one arm, then another, then one leg and finally the last. The Black Knight cries out that he'll bite the kneecaps off of anyone coming near, then relents to calling it a draw. It was the Black Knight who cried, "I'm invincible!" I love his character, short as it is.

Having recently had both my knees replaced, it got me thinking about how characters within stories cope with lost limbs. For some, like Anakin Skywalker in the recent Star Wars films, the loss is barely even noticed as the character is folded into robotic armor. Others, such as Tiny Tim in "A Christmas Carol," are defined by their lack of limbs.

I'd like to propose that loss of limb is not what it used to be. With so many action films in our society, seeing a character without a limb is almost common. And in an awful lot of stories today it's actually expected. Can any of you think of a recent action film that didn't include multiple amputations? Neither can I. And that's too bad. The body is sacred, honored, and respected. Having stories show the same kind of respect brings a whole raft of backstory into the picture. That's well worth it.

- M

Stars, Glaxies, and the swirls of the Milky Way

If you've ever been far out in the country, where there isn't much light in the sky, you've seen the wonder of that vast expanse of stars and swirls in the night sky. It's nearly beyond comprehension that so much vastness is out there. Also, it makes our tiny little world seem so very small in comparison. Awesome seems like a tiny word to use, but it's the best I have.

Looking up at the sky from within the city limits, there are only a few bright dots in the blackness. I miss seeing the scope of the night as a city dweller. It's like a gift every night.

But, there is another aspect of the night sky--it's magical and inspiring. Many songs, stories, fantasies, and tall tales have been created because of the stars and I suspect it'll continue time itself ends. Anyone with imagination is touched by the vastness of stars, and prompted to do something about it. There is a greatness evident, and we all love it regardless of our position in society or on the planet. So, take a trip sometime and get away from the bright lights of the city... take your time and watch the night sky turn over your head.

 - M

Mythbusters, and the conclusion of sacred cows

The show, "Mythbusters," is a very intriguing one. The concept is that they take a common myth--like buttered bread always falls buttered side down (more on this later)--and test it. Myths that are testable in a direct way, and ones dealing with building things or explosions, are what they do best. Anything requiring scientific techniques are a bit beyond them (though these days they have enough advisors that they do alright, but in the beginning their methods were  It's a great show, and I love watching it whenever it's on.

There is a phrase called "sacred cows" and it means a belief held in unusually high esteem. It's normally a concept that is near and dear to people's hearts and one they aren't willing to see broken. Mythbusters focusses almost entirely on myths that are in that category. Over the years they have done nearly any myth you can think of, even the one about duck quacks not echoing (apparently it's because of the audio frequency, and it amazingly is true). They also love doing myths about Duct Tape, and the tape is an amazingly versatile tool (they've made boats, bridges, and rope with it).

I enjoy the show mainly because myths have some basis in reality and it's fun seeing if it all holds up to the truth. Speaking about that, the myth about buttered bread is true... however, it isn't because of any buttering but because the bread rotates one-half turn on its way to the floor. Since you would rightly have the buttered side up then it will fall with the buttered side down on the floor. Sometimes myths are like that, fun in the telling but not quite right when tested.

- M

ps. A "Bull in a China Shop" is actually very careful and graceful, breaking nothing.

Audiobooks--aka. "Listening to the magic of books"

I love to listen to books. Not that I can't read them, but because voice acting makes books take on a fresh quality that I enjoy. Naturally, there are lots of other people who simply don't have time to read and so listen to books on their commutes to work and so on. It's another way to enjoy books, and sometimes is even better than reading it yourself--at least, I hope I'm not the only one who can't do voices justice in my own head.

My oldest daughter enjoys turning on her Kindle's voice reading system. It's pretty good, and she loves it, but I like a human being doing the reading. However, as technology progresses the quality of electronic reading will continue to more closely approximate the human voice. I suppose there will be a time when you really won't notice the difference. Sadly, that'll be the end of the voice acting industry in regards to audiobooks, but it will also open the galaxy of books to people unable to read for themselves.

The short story is especially suited to audiobooks, mainly due to the short form, and because it's easy enough to listen to an entire story in one sitting. Most full audiobooks go on for a number of hours (a dozen or more) and so must be broken down into smaller chunks. However, the experience is worthwhile and I think expands the book for the audience. Hopefully, it isn't the only way the books are read, but even if so, the books are being read and that is the important point.

- M

Tactical combat, strategic battles, and making wars epic

Large scale battles are common in fantasy and science fiction. The methods may vary, but the basic idea of winning by using tactics and strategy is pretty even. Really, the only question is how much detail to go into. When I read tactical analysis of past wars, even those rarely go into blow-by-blow strategy and instead focus on the overall battle plans. It seems to me that tactics only come to light on the grand scale, rather than at the individual level.

For a movie and book, battle is a very visual idea. Most people who enjoy the story haven't had any kind of touch with actual battle, so it's a great deal of imagination and hardly any known fact of the situation. I'm sure combat in its true form isn't romantic, and probably resembles a horror story more than anything else. Either way, a lot of speculation goes into it. Done well, the audience has a good grasp of who's winning and why.

In the end, what matters is that the audience gets involved in caring about what's happening. Given a grasp of the strategy, the audience will leap ahead and enjoy the resolution much more than without such a head start. Epic combat grows out of this idea but takes a grander design, with far more consequence to the world at large, or with deep meaning to the main characters. Given a wide enough tactical overview, any battle can become epic. Think of the 300 at Thermopylae--I'm sure most people know it now because of the movie--and how incredibly impactful that event was. That is epic.

- M

The Rise of Computer Graphics and the Triumph of Visualization. Jurassic Park to Gollum.

Computer graphics are a huge interest for me. They really hit it big with the movie version of "Jurassic Park" and the fantastic Tyrannosaurus Rex. The realism of the dinosaur is so fantastic that it still looks great today. I love watching the segments with the Rex still today. It's hard to match such realism still. But, watching the Lord of the Rings movies made me appreciate how far things have progressed. Gollum continues to amaze, with unbelievably emotive eyes and facial expressions.

One of the hardest things about ultra realistic computer imagery is the fact that the human eye is so incredibly good at noticing fakery. That's why there is such a problem with "dead eye" faces in video games. Your own eye notices that the visuals just aren't right, and look fake. It's like a doll's eyes, bobbling around inside a plastic head. These days, that is a bigger and bigger problem, because the graphics are fantastic but still are clearly fake. However, it's just a matter of time now.

I remember reading stories as a kid about completely holographic actors. We aren't quite there yet, though Gollum is very close. We still need motion capture to get the performances, though I expect that to end at some point as the libraries of human motion are gathered and stored. But, the goal isn't to replace humans in the process, but to amplify the possibilities. There's a lot in store, and I can't wait to see what happens next.

- M

Hack 'em, Slash 'em, Break 'em apart! Jean-Claude Van Damme kicks it high!

I love action movies, always have. Watching amazingly athletic actors take apart the hoodlums and riff-raff is immensely enjoyable. The "Remo Williams" books have hilariously fun action scenes with all sorts of craziness going on. There are all kinds of John Wayne movies to enjoy, the various martial arts heroes, and of course Anime of every breed.

Probably there is a course taught somewhere about these action heroes, but I think it's safe to say they aren't the most complex characters. It doesn't matter. What we're after is seeing the carnage and destruction they bring upon the bad guys. It's a kind of visceral payback for all the wrongs we've suffered at the hands of people we wish we could deal with but can't. A sort of catharsis; it makes us feel better.

Anyway, one of the great box office successes is Jean-Claude Van Damme, the "Muscles from Brussles." His career hit amazing highs, then went to a lot of straight to DVD movies. However, there is a newer one called "JCVD" which is a deep introspection on himself but through the action hero setting. It's about a guy trying to do right, but messing up and getting caught up in a bank robbery, and then due to his stardom he becomes the flashpoint that drives the scenario into overdrive. At one point, he faces the camera, rises into an attic (a neat transition as he's sitting on a chair and it's pulled up) and does a monologue emptying his soul right at the viewer. It's a startling movie, and incredibly well done. I applaud the effort. He took a big risk, and it worked. Check it out, it's well worth it.

- M