Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Chris Smith's The Pool. Highly Recommended



Have I not been raving about Chris Smith's The Pool? It's a brilliant film. A rare jewel by one of our most gifted filmmakers working today.

You'll have to seek it out. It's in limited theatrical release. But very worthwhile. Check the website for screenings and more info.

Rodcorp's How We Work site

I know I haven't written anything original in ages - but I'm afraid that's probably the way it's going to be for awhile. In the meantime, this is a handy place to note other things of interest. Like tonight, from one of Ted Hope's blogs - this reference to "How We Work." Ted writes:

MetaFilter lead me to Rodcorp's How We Work site, and although it is not the kind of thing we usually point out here at TATT, but although it's not about specific work, it's about the process to get us there, and it's kind of glorious itself.

From J.G. Ballard, to the Coen Brothers, to Malcolm Gladwell, to Walter Benjamin, the site has catalogued the methods of what people do to create. Although it is definitely a white male centered list, it is fun place to browse through, and may very well lead to some new habits. They have posted a list here.

We're interested in the habits, rituals and small (and occasionally big) methods people and teams use to get their work done. And in the specific anecdotes and the way people describe their own relationship to their own work.

It's a brilliant concept!

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

NYT on Gut instincts Suprising role in mathematics

This NYT article by Natalie Angier, "Gut Instinct's Surprising Role in Mathmematics" is kind of interesting to me - as I live in a family of natural math brains. They have the natural circuitry. I don't. (Although I did 100% on 12 passes of that dot quiz. Didn't have time to run the suggested 25.) I'm always fascinated the the natural inclination of our minds. Like I struggle so much with my memory these days yet there's still tons of information that I retain much better than those around me. It's just that I don't have control of what I'm remembering. My brain makes it's own priorities.

One research team has found that how readily people rally their approximate number sense is linked over time to success in even the most advanced and abstruse mathematics courses. Other scientists have shown that preschool children are remarkably good at approximating the impact of adding to or subtracting from large groups of items but are poor at translating the approximate into the specific. Taken together, the new research suggests that math teachers might do well to emphasize the power of the ballpark figure, to focus less on arithmetic precision and more on general reckoning.

“When mathematicians and physicists are left alone in a room, one of the games they’ll play is called a Fermi problem, in which they try to figure out the approximate answer to an arbitrary problem,” said Rebecca Saxe, a cognitive neuroscientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who is married to a physicist. “They’ll ask, how many piano tuners are there in Chicago, or what contribution to the ocean’s temperature do fish make, and they’ll try to come up with a plausible answer.”

Sunday, September 14, 2008

The Art of the Floating Head Poster

Another good lead from Cinevegas blog. This "The Art of the Floating Head Poster" from Funny or Die.

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

50 Incredible Film Posters from Poland

Thanks to Cinevegas Blog and WellMedicated for this excellent round-up of Polish Film Posters. I saw a great exhibit of Richard Linklater's personal collection at the Harry Ransom Center a few years back. These posters rock!




(more)

Wednesday, September 03, 2008

Hamet 2 - Funny, enjoyable. Recommended

On Labor Day, John and I checked out Hamlet 2. And totally enjoyed it! I cannot understand why people aren't going.... the title? It's funny. Not the best film I've ever seen, but sweet, funny, entertaining. Better than plenty of other films. Check it out. Steve Coogan, Catherine Keener, great comic timing all around.