Arts & Letters

An interview with Dean Koontz in which he discusses lots of interesting things like Freudian characters and governmental regulations. Koontz is one of my favourite authors; he writes enjoyable fiction that is easy to read and well thought out. My favourite aspect of Koontz is that he seems to have a genuinely optimistic view of the world around him, despite all the bad things that are going on, and that is a feeling I can relate to (I’m a naive optimist). Some excerpts:

“…it makes sense to say that moral behavior is an evolutionary choice. If doing the right thing wasn’t a survival tool, then none of us would do the right, decent thing and there would be no civilization. Civilization rests on the fact that most people do the right thing most of the time.”

“One day I realized my whole life has taught me Freudianism is nonsense. My father was a sociopath and an alcoholic, and I had a terrible childhood. I didn’t grow up to be a criminal or have any of the problems that I’m supposed to have.”

People compain that his characters aren’t deep enough because they don’t know why they are the way they are. Koontz explains that “In Dickens, the idea was that character is what you do, and that’s what defines you. I think that makes sense. I believe in free will and individual choice and that we make our own lives as we go along.”

DyRE noticed some thematic similarities between Theodore Stugeon’s classic novel More Than Human and Tool’s song 46+2. Sturgeon’s novel shows humans coming together to evolve into a single consciousness. Basically, as the song goes, humanity has 46 chromosomes, and 46+2 (a new pair of chromosomes) represents the next step in human evolution. The song is a lot more involved than that, drawing from Jungian theories (about the shadow) and the teachings of Drunvalo Melchizadek.

“According to Melchezedek, our planet is covered with geometrically constructed ‘morpho genetic grids’. These grids extend from about 60 feet under the Earth’s surface to about 60 miles above the Earth, arranged in geometric patterns (see ‘Sacred Geometry’). Each species has its own grid, which supports life, and connects the consciousness of its particular species. Before any species can come into existance or make an evolutionary step, a new grid must be completed. When a species becomes extinct, that particular species’ grid dissoves. A new grid was completed in 1989 – the ‘christ-consciousness’ grid. This grid will allow humans to evolve into our next version. We’ll develop two additional chromosomes (which are really ‘geometrical images’ designed to resonate with our specific grid) for a total or 46 + 2.

The main change will be a shift to the “unity consciousness”. Every cell in your body has its own consciousness and memory. You, the higher being that occupies your body, make the millions of different consciousnesses in your body work together as one being. How does this relate to this grid? Think of yourself as a cell and the grid as the higher being. We will still have individual consciousness, but will be united in the form of a higher being in order to work as one entity.”

For more, scroll down towards the bottom of the Tool FAQ. Fascinating, though I’m unsure of the scientific veracity of these claims. Mayhap I’ll look into it more. [thanks DyRE and Toolshed]

I’ve never put much stock in astrology, but my horoscope from The Onion this week is somewhat accurate:

Virgo: (Aug. 23–Sept. 22)

You will be mortified to realize that you misspelled the words “fiery,” “dynamite,” and “vengeance” in your letter to the president.

Heh heh. J/k, of course. A good headline from The Onion: Man Reading Pynchon On Bus Takes Pains To Make Cover Visible. LOL. I could actually see that happening…

Ironminds is simply one of the best online zines I’ve ever read. Its a never-ending source of humorous articles and commentary. Take, for instance, the groundbreaking stupid article I Duct-Taped Bull Ice Malt Liquor to My Hands or the confession of the simple pleasures taken in Best-of Lists (such as my lavish listing of Christmas Movies or my definitive Top 10 of 1999). Another Ironminds masterpiece: Joel Shitmaker. Its always nice to note that there are people out there who still recognize the galactic horror of movies like Batman and Robin…

I finished Theodore Sturgeon’s More Than Human tonight, and I was extremely happy with it. It is a book about a group of social misfits who band together to suvive, only to discover that their combined existance composes a single organism, possibly the next step in human evolution (Homo Gestalt). Sturgeon displays a poetic lyricism rarely seen in science fiction and explores what it really is to be human. Expect a review at Kaedrin soon…

Theres going to be a live action Tick TV series? Why wasn’t I informed? I’m a bit worried that its going to be live action (I absolutely love the old Comics and Animated Series), but from the people involved, it seems like they are taking the right approach. The Official Site is sparse, but it has a cool Haiku of Justice. Spoon!

For the uninitiated, The Running Man was a cheesy 80s Schwartzenegger action flick that is generally considered something of an abomination by film critics and even most fans. However, the author of this hilarious review of The Running Man thinks otherwise:

“Did we watch the same film? The unedited version? The one with all the swear words and the scene where the head of a fleeing prisoner explodes like a chinchilla in a convection oven?”

LOL! Go and read his madness. Now

It doesn’t quite reach the satirical brilliance of The Onion’s fake news stories, but BBSpot provides a veritable plethora of humerous news stories, many of which are more technology related than other news spoofs… Take, for instance, a recent article: Priceline Offers Name Your Own Price Prostitutes or Pope, Protestants Open Source Bible. They’ve got some good Polls as well.

Joseph Campbell’s influential The Hero With a Thousand Faces defines the “Universal Myth,” a structure which underlies stories told all over the world since the beginning of recorded history. This page discusses how Campbell’s blueprint for “The Hero’s Journey” was used by George Lucas in making Star Wars (the page also discusses Campbell’s influence on The Matrix). This interesting article and other influences and origins of Star Wars mythology can be found on this Star Wars Origins site. Another interesting site for the futuristic myths produced by science fiction is The New Mythology; there’s lots of discussion and a ton of links (references include Star Wars, Dune, Asimov, Enders Game, and more!)