Sunday, January 24, 2010

Censorship


I don't know if this is a nationwide group or just something local but in my area there is a group called Reality Check who are making the rounds to town boards, asking them to pass a resolution calling for movies that include characters smoking cigarettes to be R rated.
In my view, ratings are just another form of censorship. True, movies, books and magazines that are rated in one way or another are not REALLY banned. Never-the-less, it is a form of backdoor censorship.
Maybe you are opposed to smoking, sex and violence. Fine. Good for you. Don't smoke, have sex or commit acts of violence. But to exclude depictions of these realities from fiction is, to me, a violation of free speech.
I think it is up to parents to monitor what their children read or view.
Oh, parents need help? Yes they do. Some one needs to tell them to be parents and stop asking the government to be the parent.
What do you think?

Monday, January 11, 2010

Books in 3D

Once again the movie people are pushing 3D.
Now the push is also for 3D TV. The people who want your money, now would like you to throw out your new/old TV and buy an expensive 3D TV.
But wait! Stop and think!
If you have any imagination, if you ever had any imagination, you would realize reading a book or listening to the radio has always been in 3D.
With your very own built in imagination, you can enjoy the power of 3D when you read a book or listen to the radio. Not only that, all the characters look the way you want them to look. From sexy and beautiful to gross and ugly, you make the characters look the way you want them to look. Same goes for all of the stage settings and action. Want blood and gore, and explicit sex? Your imagination can turn any G and PG movie into XXX beyond what the censors would ever allow.
Think about it. Use your imagination and enjoy.

Saturday, January 2, 2010

The future of publishing

There was an interesting article in the local daily, The Post Star, Glens Falls, NY. The story was about a book store in southern VT, The Northshire Bookstore, Manchester. Supposedly, this is one of Stephen King's favorite independents. Anyway, the store is now into POD publishing with a unit called The Espresso Book Machine. I checked them out and their prices are higher than I pay at Lulu but I mention it because it certainly points out how POD is becoming a major component of book publishing. It does seem the new age of digital (books, records, movies, TV, etc.) is a monster wave that will change everything. Exciting, yes. Confusing, yes. And as the kids of today say, "Whatever."