To Kill A Mockingbird

Bernstein's music coupled with the touching and deep story of To Kill A Mockingbird, deeply affected me.  The theme, according to Bernstein, was composed as though a child were humming it, or playing it on a piano.  The music, which opens the movie, puts the audience into a wondrous state of mind, that of a child.  The story is told through the perspective of Scout (Mary Badham), child of Atticus Finch (Gregory Peck) a lawyer in the town of Macon, Alabama.  Finch is entrusted with defending Tom Robinson (Brock Peters), a black man charged with raping a white woman.  During the story we also meet Jem (Philip Alford), Scout's brother, and Dill ( John Megna).  The movie has a very stirring courtroom scene, which must have played a large role in Gregory Peck's later winning of an Oscar for the movie.  The ending of the movie is very well done, with a great message that all that watch the movie should heed.

The Scale of the Universe

The universe is sometimes hard to understand.  One aspect that is especially perplexing at times is the vast scale of the whole thing.  Humans perceive only a small chunk of the universe, and the website linked to below has helped me, and I am sure it will help you, to better understand the universe in which we reside.

Here is the link: The Scale of the Universe

The Foundation Series

   I have just finished a large part of Asimov's Foundation series

 ( Foundation, Foundation and Empire and Second Foundation), as well as Foundation's Edge and Foundation and Earth.  These books, especially the original trilogy are outstanding.  The best thing about Asimov's stories is that they are character driven.  Though the series is set in a highly advanced future, with wondrous technologies, the characters are always well grounded and relatable.  Another aspect of Asimov's books that makes them stand out is the way his books, as all good science-fiction seems to, turn an eye towards our society.  Though all of the books I have read so far in the series were written before I was born, they are very much relevant today, as can bee easily observed by the sheer numbers of Asimov fans.

  I will in time read the prequels ( Prelude to Foundation and Forward the Foundation.  I have long hesitated to begin the Foundation series due to the number of books involved if you count the expanded Foundation series books, this number is 29 according to Wikipedia.  In the past I read I, Robot, which was an outstanding book, but at that time I did not even know of the Foundation series.  When I encountered it later I was pretty sure I would love it, but I knew I would simply have to read every single book of the 29, though I will start with the books listed on this page.  I will undoubtedly read every single one of these books now, as I have been drawn into the Foundation universe, and I will not leave it without thoroughly exploring every nook and cranny.

Apple's iOS 4

Last night I upgraded my iPhone 3G to iOS 4 (formerly know as iPhone OS 4). Though the OS will be best on the new iPhone 4, it is a great improvement from the 3.0 OS I had before.

The best feature in the new OS would to me be hands down the folders. I am now able to better organize my apps, and know where all of my favorite apps are. An added bonus to the folders is that I am able to fit many more apps on my phone, as I have had my phone full from a few weeks after I got it until last night. I now actually have empty spaces on my home screen.

Another great feature is the new inbox setup. I am now able to check all inboxes at once, as well as independently, saving a lot of time.

There are many other minor tweaks, such as the option of choosing different search providers in Safari, and minor graphical redesign among them.

iBooks does not come preloaded with iOS 4, but it is available for download from the App Store for those who have upgraded to iOS 4. The app is a great eBook reader, with plenty of free books available among the paid books.

The biggest surprise I encountered from iOS 4, is that it does not slow down my device. I expected my device to perform slower, as it is a few generations back, but it performs nicely on the new iOS.

I would recommend that all iPhone users (3G and up), at least try the new iOS, I don't believe you will be disappointed.

E3 Nintendo Presentation

I am highly looking forward to a lot of the offerings that E3 has shown today. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, looked very cool.



The game uses the Wii MotionPlus attachment to enable the player to experience a near 1:1 interface with the sword, shield in the game. The advanced control allows you to feel as if you are truly integrated into the game, and the game makers have taken advantage of this, as some puzzles and enemies require you to slash your sword in certain direction. Shield use becomes much more prominent in this game as well, as the nunchuk becomes your shield, enabling you to block instinctively while also slashing your enemy. The game also uses this enhanced control for other items. The bow uses a similar control scheme to that of Wii Sports Resort Archery. The game has some familiar items such as the slingshot and bombs and some added functionality to such items as the bomb, as you can now toss it much as you would grenades in many shooters, and you can even roll the bomb like a bowling ball. There is a cool beetle item which you control remotely, and allows you to collect items from afar.

Nintendo also showcased many other games such as Donkey Kong, Mario Sports Mix, Kirby Epic Yarn and others. A huge announcement for Nintendo was the 3DS.

This is a successor the the DS handeld, that actually allows you to play games in 3D sans 3D glasses. This is a very interesting development in the world of gaming, and 3D entertainment in general, and though I often loath 3D movies, and the impending headache that often follows, I am excited about this development, and hope it works much better than Nintendo's "portable" 3D system, the VirtualBoy. I am sure they have gotten it right this time.