Freakish Economists

The title and the hype can certainly be misleading, but that doesn't mean a popular book can't be enjoyable. If you ignore the facts that the economy, in the most common meaning, is never mentioned and that the whole thing reads like a shrine to Levitt, then "Freakonomics" will keep you some good company.
Although the writers (mainly Levitt I guess) try to present this as a book with no unifying theme, it is really about how the methods used by economists can bring results in different areas of our lives. Of course, there is no grand analysis and nothing that intimately connects the few chapters/examples of this theme. This lack of complexity and the addressing of familiar topics do explain the book's great sales.
Some specifics about what the book covers are incentives and their role on people's decisions, and statistical analysis. You will contemplate on the different kind of incentives people may have (moral, social, economic) and which are the strongest in a given situation. A smart thing to do when you want to predict the crowd's behaviour. You will also see how statistical analysis can be a detective's best friend when the investigation is about teachers cheating or sumo-fight frauds.
It may be that some of the content borders on the trivial, but Levitt's casual and witty writing style makes you forget about it. Clearly, this is not a life-changing book, but it deals with an interesting topic in a not challenging way and that can only be fun.

Everything Lost In One Image

The above is a sample of a very nicely done image that contains most of the info we have gathered in those amazing two "Lost" seasons. Get it over here. Be warned, it is over 4 MB in size!

Troy 5000 AD

I doubt you can find many novels that are as detailed, dense and inspired in science fiction as Dan Simmons' Hyperion ones. His next attempt was the duet "Ilium" and "Olympos". The first thing that amazes you is that once again Simmons' imagination is over the top. "Ilium" starts with the same verses as Homer's "Iliad" but the person who recites them is one Thomas Hockenberry, a scholar of the "Iliad" from the 21st century. And his relationship with the Muse is nothing like Homer's. You go on, astonished to find out that Hockenberry is living the legendary Trojan War, and his job is to report to the Muse everything that is going on and how, if at all, it differs with Homer's text. Yes, the Gods, the heroes, and everything else is in place. Thomas Hockenberry has no idea how he was brought there, but it soon becomes clear that the "Gods" owe their supernatural power to advanced technology.
Meanwhile, sentient machines of earthly origin embark from Jupiter to investigate strange quantum anomalies that are emanating from Mars. These AIs were created by humanity millenia ago, but they still are obsessed with everything human. Named "moravecs", after the robotics researcher Hans Moravec, the two machines contemplate on what it is to be human and analyze the texts of Shakespeare and Proust on their journey. But what is happening on Earth?
Things are even weirder here. Humanity has been dumbed down despite the advanced technology they are using. Noone knows how to read, or do anything else since everything is provided by machine servitors. Societies have no structure, there is no government, and the concept of family has been forgotten. Everything has been arranged so by the post-humans, a population of genetically advanced humans who have disappeared and left only their rules behind.
How all of this connects in a coherent way is something that only Dan Simmons could pull through. However, as I said, he does go over the top. There are some things that could be left out, like wandering dinosaurs. Yes, it's not implausible considering the age and technology described but I think it hurts the overall picture.

As we turn to "Olympos", a lot has happened. Hockenberry, sick of being a pawn for the Gods, takes matters into his own hands. As a result, the war takes a new turn when Greeks and Trojans ally against the Gods themselves. The moravecs find out that this war is taking place on a terraformed Mars and it is the source of the anomalies they were sent to investigate. The entities posing as Gods must be stopped before the anomalies become a threat for the universe.
As if the Trojan War wasn't enough, characters from Shakespeare's "The Tempest" , come to life, much like the greek Gods. Their roles are less of a mystery and more of a literary challenge. A challenge of sorts, also, is Simmons' detailed descriptions of future technologies that are up to date with the latest advancements in physics.
The final verdict on this very ambitious fantasy creation is not an all-together positive one like it was for "Hyperion". You will, of course, be amazed at the complexity and imagination of the writing. Despite its wild and fun character, it requires some level of literature and even science involvement from the reader. This will tend to be annoying for some but it can also be something to spark interest for these things. But there are other flaws to consider. The plotlines come to be extremely complex and their resolvement is not entirely satisfying. It makes you think that it would require one or two more books to do this right. Finally, even though Simmons tries to be subtle about it, his religious convictions come out more strongly here than in "Hyperion". Hard to avoid this, considering how closely related fiction and religion are.

Two Deaths For The Road

SPOILERS AHEAD!

As the second season of "Lost" comes to a close, extraordinary events take place that will change the picture for the third season, much like the hatch's contents did for the second. It is hard to tell what it will be like, but one thing is sure : it will be violent.
This episode was a wealth of information and shockers. Michael returns and he claims the Others are miserable, poorly armed and waiting to be owned by the fully equipped survivors. Kate should open her damned mouth about the disguises she has discovered at this point, but the hope for revenge is clouding everyone's thoughts. Ana Lucia tries to resolve her guilt over the murder(s) that made her a failure as a cop and a daughter. In the process, she assists Christian Sheppard (Jack's father) locate his daughter in Sydney. I'm sure Jack would like to know this, but by the episode's end it's clear it won't happen. Ana Lucia figures out that killing Henry will make her demons go away. Getting a gun from Sawyer to accomplish this is no small task, but Ana Lucia's resolve is strong. She seduces him and gets to steal the gun after sex. It's a big clue to how psychologically messed up she is. In the end though, she finds herself unable to do it. Still, she doesn't think much when Michael asks for the gun to do it himself. I believe his speech about the Others being animals and killers is genuine, and Ana Lucia is convinced. This is when things get wild : Michael says "I'm sorry", shoots Ana Lucia who dies with a depressing expression of surprise, and an unlucky Libby who walks in the scene while picking stuff for a picnic with Hurley. The episode ends with Michael opening the door to Henry's prison and shooting his own arm.
It's obvious at this point that the Others have blackmailed Michael to help them free Henry and possibly be a mole at the survivors' camp in exchange for his son. Despite the fact that a father will do anything for his son, Michael's actions are terrible and his deception will not last long. I doubt his character will continue much into the third season. Libby's death is the most frustrating event of the season. She is the only character we have had no flashback from, and the teaser from Hurley's episode was a promise for interesting plots that are now hanging in the air. I hope these issues will be resolved in some flashback before the season ends. Three more episodes to go, and the writers promise a finale that will top the one of first season. It seems "Lost" will keep people at the edge of their seats for quite some time.

Who wrote the Bible?

A lot of people are convinced about the answer to this question, but Robert Beckford, a Pentecostal christian thelogian at Birmingham University, is not taking things for granted. This 100-minute documentary aired in Brittish Channel 4 during Christmas of 2004 and was the cause of some controversy as it deals with a sensitive subject. It is one, though, that should receive a long-overdue attention.
Beckford makes his case by keeping an open mind and following the clues where they lead him. Starting at the beginning, the first five books of the Old Testament, that are popularly attributed to Moses' authorship, appear to have been written by four different authors (two disagree over the name of God, Yahweh/Elohim) and one of them actually mentions Moses' death. Moving forward, the Old Testament is shown to have been dictated by jewish kings with political agendas, themes of triumph giving place to themes of suffering and liberation that correspond to the state of the jewish people at the specific time. The explanation of the motives behind the writing of the text is elegant and provides a connection between the Old and the New Testament.
Examining the New Testament, we find that the only author we can reliably locate in history is Paul. The gospel authors are shown to be far from eye-witnesses of the events they describe and that their consistency varies from plagiarism to direct contradiction. Then there's the issue of the Bible as a printed work and the history of its compiling. The documentary covers this topic and mentions texts such as the Dead Sea Scrolls who were kept out of the Bible when the consensus about doctrine leaned elsewhere.
In the end, the divine origin of the text is seriously doubted, but Beckford never discards it and hints that there are valid moral lessons included. However, the fundamentalists interviewed, especially Richard Land (Bush's spiritual adviser), make the case that the belief of divine origin for the Bible is dangerous. You can hear Land preach to the crowd : "I would have flooded Iraq with american troops" and "For a christian to be involved in an armed conflict means that he must be authorized by the legitimate authority. I do not believe that a legitimate authority for the United States is the United Nations. Now if they want to agree with us, great. But if they don't...eh!". You can make your own conclusions. Either way, Beckford's documentary is an intelligible and enlightening documentary that has something to teach to everyone.

Welcome To Silent Hell

Movies that are inspired by video games are rarely worth it. The story usually required to make a good movie is beyond the scope of a video game, even a great one. I haven't played the "Silent Hill" game, but the movie manages to evade most hints about video games, at least to unsuspecting viewers. That said, it still is plagued by some of the stereotypical flaws of such movies : mediocre acting, unexplained plots, shallow emotions. Even so, this is a horror film and it is quite succesful at conveying horror. The transition from the silent but creepy deserted town into a screaming, dark hell is impressive. The gruesome, disfigured not-quite-human creatures are horrible enough to make you indifferent to their unexplained origin, and that can also be said about the demonic presence of the Pyramid Head pictured above. A most disturbing character that could have his own horror movie series. The bloody climax of the movie is a very violent one but it is so entertaining I think it could be longer.
In the end, Silent Hill is quite entertaining if you are not looking for more than visually stimulating horror scenes. If you enjoyed "The Cell" despite Jennifer Lopez's presence, then you will probably love Silent Hill movie.

Showdown Draws Near

WARNING - SPOILERS AHEAD.

Don't read below if you have not seen last Monday's "24" episode.

The 5th season is quickly becoming a favorite one. What is ultimately at stake this time is not human lives at the mercy of terrorists, but the integrity of an idea. The show has always presented its characters with terrible moral dillemas that could drive a normal person crazy at the short time they have to be resolved. Jack Bauer, of course, is the guy of right and fast choices. But let's see things in more detail.
Hendersson slashes Audrey, slowing Jack down as he has to stop her from bleeding to death. He is also slowed though, because he has to deliver the recording to a safe place. It is his security against any attempt by President Logan to use him as a scapegoat. I should mention here that the transformation of Logan from an apparently dependent and weak person to a subtle mover of strings was handled convincingly and smoothly. It appears that Logan is again supported by a previously unseen cast of people which is consistent with his flawed personality. Their appearance suggests that something is on the move that hasn't happened yet. This is also supported by the diplomatic flight where Jack is led to when following the recording. Something of international importance is happening that is at the heart of the whole buisness and which will finally explain the high risks Logan has taken in this season. Other highlights of the episode was of course Heller's sacrifice, but I have a hunch he may have survived, and Karen's change of sides when her suspicions are verified. 5 more episodes to go for the finale and I'm sure the surprises will not stop.

The Office Of Strategic Influence Is Free

This is the second album for the project of Kevin Moore (ex Dream Theater, Chroma Key), Jim Mattheos (Fates Warning), Joey Vera (Fates Warning) and Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater). If you are familiar with the members, you know the worth of the band. You may not know the origin of their name which refers to a subdivision of the USA department of defense which focused on propaganda. This short article on wikipedia has all the details. About the album itself, I will post my review which should appear soon on Behind the Veil webzine.
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The supergroup of O.S.I. follows up their succesful debut with "Free". It becomes clear that the person who is in charge is Kevin Moore (keyboards, vocals), as the mood of the album is a lot like Moore's Chroma Key project. I still wish they had brought Daniel Gildenlow (Pain Of Salvation) as was originally planned, since I find Moore's voice somewhat tiring. Of course, the man remains a most inspired song writer and keyboardist. Things go a bit more to the electronic and drum'n'bass side this time. Don't be alarmed though, this remains a metal album as Mattheos offers some quite heavy riffs. Mike Portnoy finds a chance to prove his versatility as he adapts to quite a different style of playing. "Free" is an album for demanding listeners and probably there's nothing like it in the whole scene. With a vocalist like Gildenlow however, it would be a masterpiece.