Books I am currently reading:
The Small Talk Handbook, Melissa Wadsworth - I'm reading this to help prepare for future scenarios where it might come in handy.
The Narcissism Epidemic, Jean M Twenge & W Keith Campbell - Certainly narcissism is getting to be a problem, but rather than address the empath and sociopath aspects of this problem, it all gets lumped under narcissism. Within this context, I finished ME Thomas' Confessions of a Sociopath and Jon Ronson's The Sociopath Test as well as Daniel Smith's Monkey Mind.
Joss Whedon: The Complete Companion - This is going to take awhile to read. Perhaps I'm over my league here. I mainly bought this because Whedon created Buffy, Angel and Firefly. So I might be short-sighted in my purchase.
No god but God, Reza Aslan - In this post-911 world, it makes sense to keep abreast of the history of Islam. I started with this book, which leads me to...
Islam, Karen Armstrong - The definitive book on Islam, even though it might be weak on the intervening history between Mohammed and the mid 18th century when the West certainly conflicted at great length with Islam, even though by then it was starting on its decline.
American Crucifixion, Alex Beam - While this book comes across as anti-Mormon, I'm not giving up the chance to read an expose on Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism. So far, it reads like a Western, complete with megalomania and a sociopathy so complex, I'm almost siding with the ex-Mormons.
However, the favorable spin on Mormonism tends to condemn the apostate a little too harshly. For example, the slut-shaming of innocent women courageous enough to not participate in Smith's polygamy scheme is unwarranted. Even so, I find the muted name-calling from the pro-Mormon literature unwarranted as well. It made the polygamy chapter hard to get through. Pro-Mormon literature blames Bennett for polygamy, and proclaims Smith innocent of all charges.
My reason for so many books:
IMO I may suffer from mild ADD. When a book gets tiresome to read, I get bored. So I rest a moment, and then read a new book from the stack. Currently, of the above mentioned titles, the Mormon book and the two books on Islam are being read more often than the Small Talk Handbook
If I feel like curling up to a book for a good read, then I can do so with any of the seven books I am currently reading. For me, book reading beats going to bars, hanging out at the beach, and shopping. Though, at some point in the near future, I am going to have to get off my ass and trade in a heap of books I've read.
As for now, I have a lot of reading to do and love it.
Showing posts with label Firefly. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Firefly. Show all posts
20130130
Is River Tam of Firefly/Serenity Psychic or Merely Psychotic?
Serenity is the movie based on the short lived series Firefly, which was created by Joss Whedon, who brought us Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. I think he's also helping out with the new Dollhouse series. In addition he also has penned a few comics.
Here's the wikipedia link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serenity_(film)
It stars Summer Glau who plays River Tam, an augmented assassin who was trained in what was purported to be a special academy for gifted students but turned out to be a facility used to turn a select few of gifted students into assassins.
She's supposed to be around 17-19 in this series.
However, the actual star of the Firefly series was the ship itself, of the Firefly class, the Serenity.
From wikipedia:
"Set 510 years in the future, Serenity is the story of the captain and crew of a transport and cargo ship. The captain and first mate are veterans of the Unification War, having fought on the losing side. Their lives of petty crime are interrupted by a :psychotic: passenger who harbors a dangerous secret."
Glau plays River Tam with glee. What Whedon gets her to say in the script is similar to what you get out of schizophrenic people or people rendered disturbed by trauma. However, the premise that Blue Sun, a monolithic corporation that runs the Alliance which has forced tight control over the central planets while barely civilizing the outer-rim planets, has allowed mind control (psyops) scientists to brainwash and torture River, is despicable.
Supposedly they went in and did a special kind of lobotomy, damaging her amygdala which controls our ability to respond to fight-or-flight stimuli correctly. The amygdala is also the centre of our emotions - it allows us to filter out harmless stimuli and to act on threats, focus on detail, etc. Without it, supposedly we undergo so much stress we go mad and violently so.
I know that with Williams syndrome, the connexions to the amygdala are wired differently from you or I. A person with it strives to connect with other people, is gregarious, and talkative, yet cannot connect cues to appropriate action in response to the usual hints and nuances we may appropriately act upon with ease.
In the case of River Tam, her behavior is based on a wide range of schizotypies with some mild psychosis that she choses to go in and out of with ease. I think that the medication that her doctor brother gives her is probably an antihistamine-like antipsychotic. However, I do not think she is actually psychotic. Rather, she is sensitive, possibly due to administration of an ibogaine-like compound created by Blue Sun as a mind control drug.
See ibogaine. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibogaine
OK OK, I am thoroughly into Firefly. It's not a fun sci fi drama, considering that the Alliance and probably Blue Sun is based on a future Earth where China allied with America and Europe to conquer the stars, which reminds me of a certain novel series of which I forget the author where such an alliance rules the future Earth.
Dunno if the two are related, but I would not mind viewing Serenity.
Update: 20130130.1839
After watching Serenity, I have seen River Tam mature as a character who matures from victim of a State that creates child assassins with psychic ability into a young adult who chooses use her training to protect both her brother and the crew of the Serenity.
Her behavior points the way to the planet Miranda and her behavior there shows the vulnerable side of her character. Once the decision is made to reveal the secret of Miranda to the whole universe, River Tam decides to protect her brother and the crew of the Serenity when her brother is mortally wounded.
At that moment, she throws the med kit containing the means to save her brother towards the crew and then unleashes her martial arts skills on Reavers intent on killing anyone that crosses their path.
Afterwards, when Malcolm Reynolds returns from his task to broadcast Miranda's secret to the known universe, we see as the gate door opens, River Tam standing, dead Reavers scattered around her, swords in both hands.
It appears surreal to hear the Alliance commander demanding her to stand down. Yet I cannot help but consider River Tam as badass, deadly yet devoted not only to her brother but also the crew of the Serenity.
Is River Tam psychic? You bet! Is she psychotic? I don't think so, not when she's given a new purpose (protection of family - her brother - and friends - the crew of Serenity).
Overall, I give the movie 4/5 because it is the culmination of all the episode of the short-lived series.
Here's the wikipedia link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serenity_(film)
It stars Summer Glau who plays River Tam, an augmented assassin who was trained in what was purported to be a special academy for gifted students but turned out to be a facility used to turn a select few of gifted students into assassins.
She's supposed to be around 17-19 in this series.
However, the actual star of the Firefly series was the ship itself, of the Firefly class, the Serenity.
From wikipedia:
"Set 510 years in the future, Serenity is the story of the captain and crew of a transport and cargo ship. The captain and first mate are veterans of the Unification War, having fought on the losing side. Their lives of petty crime are interrupted by a :psychotic: passenger who harbors a dangerous secret."
Glau plays River Tam with glee. What Whedon gets her to say in the script is similar to what you get out of schizophrenic people or people rendered disturbed by trauma. However, the premise that Blue Sun, a monolithic corporation that runs the Alliance which has forced tight control over the central planets while barely civilizing the outer-rim planets, has allowed mind control (psyops) scientists to brainwash and torture River, is despicable.
Supposedly they went in and did a special kind of lobotomy, damaging her amygdala which controls our ability to respond to fight-or-flight stimuli correctly. The amygdala is also the centre of our emotions - it allows us to filter out harmless stimuli and to act on threats, focus on detail, etc. Without it, supposedly we undergo so much stress we go mad and violently so.
I know that with Williams syndrome, the connexions to the amygdala are wired differently from you or I. A person with it strives to connect with other people, is gregarious, and talkative, yet cannot connect cues to appropriate action in response to the usual hints and nuances we may appropriately act upon with ease.
In the case of River Tam, her behavior is based on a wide range of schizotypies with some mild psychosis that she choses to go in and out of with ease. I think that the medication that her doctor brother gives her is probably an antihistamine-like antipsychotic. However, I do not think she is actually psychotic. Rather, she is sensitive, possibly due to administration of an ibogaine-like compound created by Blue Sun as a mind control drug.
See ibogaine. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibogaine
OK OK, I am thoroughly into Firefly. It's not a fun sci fi drama, considering that the Alliance and probably Blue Sun is based on a future Earth where China allied with America and Europe to conquer the stars, which reminds me of a certain novel series of which I forget the author where such an alliance rules the future Earth.
Dunno if the two are related, but I would not mind viewing Serenity.
Update: 20130130.1839
After watching Serenity, I have seen River Tam mature as a character who matures from victim of a State that creates child assassins with psychic ability into a young adult who chooses use her training to protect both her brother and the crew of the Serenity.
Her behavior points the way to the planet Miranda and her behavior there shows the vulnerable side of her character. Once the decision is made to reveal the secret of Miranda to the whole universe, River Tam decides to protect her brother and the crew of the Serenity when her brother is mortally wounded.
At that moment, she throws the med kit containing the means to save her brother towards the crew and then unleashes her martial arts skills on Reavers intent on killing anyone that crosses their path.
Afterwards, when Malcolm Reynolds returns from his task to broadcast Miranda's secret to the known universe, we see as the gate door opens, River Tam standing, dead Reavers scattered around her, swords in both hands.
It appears surreal to hear the Alliance commander demanding her to stand down. Yet I cannot help but consider River Tam as badass, deadly yet devoted not only to her brother but also the crew of the Serenity.
Is River Tam psychic? You bet! Is she psychotic? I don't think so, not when she's given a new purpose (protection of family - her brother - and friends - the crew of Serenity).
Overall, I give the movie 4/5 because it is the culmination of all the episode of the short-lived series.
20101225
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