A small tool to view real-world ActivityPub objects as JSON! Enter a URL
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to the server to view the underlying object.
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"content": "Reading Thread (Feb. 2023)<br /><br />Hello, everyone. Just wondering what all of you are currently reading, irrespective of genre, and how you're all finding it? Anything from your recent reads you found particularly good and would recommend to others?<br /><br />For myself, I'm just starting a re-read of Isaac Asimov's THE GODS THEMSELVES (1972), an old favourite that I haven't read since the mid-to-late 1990's.<br /><br />Image: picture of two boys reading Marvel Comics' adaptation of the BATTLESTAR GALACTICA television series (MARVEL SUPER SPECIAL No. 8, Oct. 1978). Photographer unknown.<br /><br /><a href=\"https://www.minds.com/search?f=top&t=all&q=CurrentlyReading\" title=\"#CurrentlyReading\" class=\"u-url hashtag\" target=\"_blank\">#CurrentlyReading</a> <a href=\"https://www.minds.com/search?f=top&t=all&q=ReadingThread\" title=\"#ReadingThread\" class=\"u-url hashtag\" target=\"_blank\">#ReadingThread</a> ",
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"published": "2023-02-17T09:10:35+00:00",
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"content": "Reading Thread (Feb. 2023)\n\nHello, everyone. Just wondering what all of you are currently reading, irrespective of genre, and how you're all finding it? Anything from your recent reads you found particularly good and would recommend to others?\n\nFor myself, I'm just starting a re-read of Isaac Asimov's THE GODS THEMSELVES (1972), an old favourite that I haven't read since the mid-to-late 1990's.\n\nImage: picture of two boys reading Marvel Comics' adaptation of the BATTLESTAR GALACTICA television series (MARVEL SUPER SPECIAL No. 8, Oct. 1978). Photographer unknown.\n\n#CurrentlyReading #ReadingThread ",
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"content": "Mariusz Lewandowski (Polish, b. 1960). <br /><br />\"Pareidolia\" / 2017. <br /><br />Oil on canvas, 40 x 30 cm. <br /><br />Pareidolia | par·ei·do·lia | \\ ˌper-ˌī-ˈdō-lē-ə , -ˈdōl-yə \\ is the tendency to perceive a specific, often meaningful image in a random or ambiguous visual pattern; the human ability to see shapes or make pictures out of randomness. <br /><br />Lewandowski's surreal and apocalyptic visions often blend fantasy, science fiction and religious elements. A number of his pieces depict states of transition, or portals and passageways from one point to another where the crossing may encompass distance in both material and immaterial terms. <br /><br /><a href=\"https://www.minds.com/search?f=top&t=all&q=SurrealArt\" title=\"#SurrealArt\" class=\"u-url hashtag\" target=\"_blank\">#SurrealArt</a> <a href=\"https://www.minds.com/search?f=top&t=all&q=NeoSurrealism\" title=\"#NeoSurrealism\" class=\"u-url hashtag\" target=\"_blank\">#NeoSurrealism</a> <a href=\"https://www.minds.com/search?f=top&t=all&q=SurrealLandscape\" title=\"#SurrealLandscape\" class=\"u-url hashtag\" target=\"_blank\">#SurrealLandscape</a> ",
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"published": "2022-10-19T13:16:26+00:00",
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"content": "Mariusz Lewandowski (Polish, b. 1960). \n\n\"Pareidolia\" / 2017. \n\nOil on canvas, 40 x 30 cm. \n\nPareidolia | par·ei·do·lia | \\ ˌper-ˌī-ˈdō-lē-ə , -ˈdōl-yə \\ is the tendency to perceive a specific, often meaningful image in a random or ambiguous visual pattern; the human ability to see shapes or make pictures out of randomness. \n\nLewandowski's surreal and apocalyptic visions often blend fantasy, science fiction and religious elements. A number of his pieces depict states of transition, or portals and passageways from one point to another where the crossing may encompass distance in both material and immaterial terms. \n\n#SurrealArt #NeoSurrealism #SurrealLandscape ",
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"content": "I'm guessing most of you have seen the trailer for the new DUNE adaptation that dropped approximately a week ago. <br /><br />First impressions? Do you think it looks good? Visually, I think it looks spectacular, but do you think think this might be a faithful adaptation of Herbert's iconic SF novel? What do you think of the casting?<br /><br /><a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8g18jFHCLXk&t\" target=\"_blank\">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8g18jFHCLXk&t</a><br /><br /><a href=\"https://www.minds.com/search?f=top&t=all&q=ScienceFictionFilm\" title=\"#ScienceFictionFilm\" class=\"u-url hashtag\" target=\"_blank\">#ScienceFictionFilm</a> <a href=\"https://www.minds.com/search?f=top&t=all&q=FilmTrailer\" title=\"#FilmTrailer\" class=\"u-url hashtag\" target=\"_blank\">#FilmTrailer</a>",
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"published": "2021-08-01T09:50:56+00:00",
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"content": "I'm guessing most of you have seen the trailer for the new DUNE adaptation that dropped approximately a week ago. \n\nFirst impressions? Do you think it looks good? Visually, I think it looks spectacular, but do you think think this might be a faithful adaptation of Herbert's iconic SF novel? What do you think of the casting?\n\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8g18jFHCLXk&t\n\n#ScienceFictionFilm #FilmTrailer",
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"content": "Thoughts on his work (novels and films)? Which books by Crichton have you read? What do you think of the many film adaptations of his novels? <br /><br />\"When Michael Crichton Reigned over Pop Culture, from ER to JURASSIC PARK\" (Feb. 13, 2017) by Sam Kashner for VANITY FAIR. <br /><br />Here's a good retrospective on Michael Crichton (American, 1942–2008) that came out after season one of HBO's 2016 science fiction show WESTWORLD first aired. The show was based on Crichton's 1973 science fiction film of the same name. <br /><br />This remembrance covers Crichton's early career, his collaboration with director Steven Spielberg, the influence of some of his major novels plus controversies some others have caused, and his early crime novels written under the pseudonym John Lange. It's also peppered with anecdotes by a number of people, including actors, screen-writers, publishers, and his wife. <br /><br />Michael Crichton had become one of the most influential figures in popular culture during the entirety of his working career, primarily as a result of his many novels. As an author (mainly writing techno-thrillers and SF, but also historical fiction, crime fiction, and non-fiction that included memoirs, a book on American artist Jasper Johns, and an early book on understanding computers), and also including his forays into the production and direction of films and television, he had achieved a level of success likely unmatched by any other writer of popular fiction during the latter half of the 20th century. <br /><br /><a href=\"https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2017/02/michael-crichton-reign-over-pop-culture-jurassic-park-westworld\" target=\"_blank\">https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2017/02/michael-crichton-reign-over-pop-culture-jurassic-park-westworld</a> ",
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"url": "https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/1258438613008863232",
"published": "2021-07-04T15:05:45+00:00",
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"content": "Thoughts on his work (novels and films)? Which books by Crichton have you read? What do you think of the many film adaptations of his novels? \n\n\"When Michael Crichton Reigned over Pop Culture, from ER to JURASSIC PARK\" (Feb. 13, 2017) by Sam Kashner for VANITY FAIR. \n\nHere's a good retrospective on Michael Crichton (American, 1942–2008) that came out after season one of HBO's 2016 science fiction show WESTWORLD first aired. The show was based on Crichton's 1973 science fiction film of the same name. \n\nThis remembrance covers Crichton's early career, his collaboration with director Steven Spielberg, the influence of some of his major novels plus controversies some others have caused, and his early crime novels written under the pseudonym John Lange. It's also peppered with anecdotes by a number of people, including actors, screen-writers, publishers, and his wife. \n\nMichael Crichton had become one of the most influential figures in popular culture during the entirety of his working career, primarily as a result of his many novels. As an author (mainly writing techno-thrillers and SF, but also historical fiction, crime fiction, and non-fiction that included memoirs, a book on American artist Jasper Johns, and an early book on understanding computers), and also including his forays into the production and direction of films and television, he had achieved a level of success likely unmatched by any other writer of popular fiction during the latter half of the 20th century. \n\nhttps://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2017/02/michael-crichton-reign-over-pop-culture-jurassic-park-westworld ",
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"content": "\"Vegetarian Vampires\" by Remedios Varo. Click on link to see full image. <br /><br /><a href=\"https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/1252939945388920832\" target=\"_blank\">https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/1252939945388920832</a>",
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"published": "2021-06-24T14:05:22+00:00",
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"content": "\"Vegetarian Vampires\" by Remedios Varo. Click on link to see full image. \n\nhttps://www.minds.com/newsfeed/1252939945388920832",
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"content": "\"Vegetarian Vampires\" by Remedios Varo. Click on link to see full image.<br /><br /><a href=\"https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/1252939945388920832\" target=\"_blank\">https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/1252939945388920832</a>",
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"published": "2021-06-24T14:03:05+00:00",
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"content": "\"Vegetarian Vampires\" by Remedios Varo. Click on link to see full image.\n\nhttps://www.minds.com/newsfeed/1252939945388920832",
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"content": "Remedios Varo<br /><br /><a href=\"https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/1252939945388920832\" target=\"_blank\">https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/1252939945388920832</a>",
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"published": "2021-06-24T14:02:08+00:00",
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"content": "Salvadore Dalí (Spanish, 1904–1989). <br /><br />\"Métamorphose de Narcisse\" [\"Metamorphosis of Narcissus\"] (1937). <br /><br />Oil on canvas, 51.1 x 78.1 cm. Acquired by the Tate Modern, London, in 1979. <br /><br />Dalí's surrealist interpretation of the Greek myth of Narcissus. Narcissus was punished by the gods for his solipsism and arrogance with regards to his own beauty by making him fall in love with his own reflection. Although he died of frustration, the gods felt pity and relented by immortalising him as the narcissus flower (daffodil). <br /><br />This painting depicts the hallucinatory effect of Narcissus' transformation: kneeling in the pool, yet also holding an egg which then flowers. You also see Narcissus' earlier stage as he poses in the background. <br /><br />\"This was Dalí's first painting to be made entirely in accordance with the paranoiac critical method, which the artist described as a 'Spontaneous method of irrational knowledge, based on the critical-interpretative association of the phenomena of delirium' ('The Conquest of the Irrational', published in THE SECRET LIFE OF SALVADOR DALÍ, New York, 1942). Robert Descharnes noted that this painting meant a great deal to Dalí, as it was the first Surrealist work to offer a consistent interpretation of an irrational subject.\" —Terry Riggs, for the Tate Modern, London, 1998 <br /><br /><a href=\"https://www.minds.com/search?f=top&t=all&q=FineArt\" title=\"#FineArt\" class=\"u-url hashtag\" target=\"_blank\">#FineArt</a> <a href=\"https://www.minds.com/search?f=top&t=all&q=ModernArt\" title=\"#ModernArt\" class=\"u-url hashtag\" target=\"_blank\">#ModernArt</a> <a href=\"https://www.minds.com/search?f=top&t=all&q=Surrealism\" title=\"#Surrealism\" class=\"u-url hashtag\" target=\"_blank\">#Surrealism</a> <a href=\"https://www.minds.com/search?f=top&t=all&q=TheSurrealists\" title=\"#TheSurrealists\" class=\"u-url hashtag\" target=\"_blank\">#TheSurrealists</a>",
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"published": "2021-06-24T13:56:19+00:00",
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"content": "Salvadore Dalí (Spanish, 1904–1989). \n\n\"Métamorphose de Narcisse\" [\"Metamorphosis of Narcissus\"] (1937). \n\nOil on canvas, 51.1 x 78.1 cm. Acquired by the Tate Modern, London, in 1979. \n\nDalí's surrealist interpretation of the Greek myth of Narcissus. Narcissus was punished by the gods for his solipsism and arrogance with regards to his own beauty by making him fall in love with his own reflection. Although he died of frustration, the gods felt pity and relented by immortalising him as the narcissus flower (daffodil). \n\nThis painting depicts the hallucinatory effect of Narcissus' transformation: kneeling in the pool, yet also holding an egg which then flowers. You also see Narcissus' earlier stage as he poses in the background. \n\n\"This was Dalí's first painting to be made entirely in accordance with the paranoiac critical method, which the artist described as a 'Spontaneous method of irrational knowledge, based on the critical-interpretative association of the phenomena of delirium' ('The Conquest of the Irrational', published in THE SECRET LIFE OF SALVADOR DALÍ, New York, 1942). Robert Descharnes noted that this painting meant a great deal to Dalí, as it was the first Surrealist work to offer a consistent interpretation of an irrational subject.\" —Terry Riggs, for the Tate Modern, London, 1998 \n\n#FineArt #ModernArt #Surrealism #TheSurrealists",
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"content": "Sir Frederic Leighton (English, 1830–1896). <br /><br />\"The Garden of Herespides\" / 1891-2. <br /><br />Oil on canvas, diameter: 169 cm (66.5 inches). Housed at Lady Lever Art Gallery, Liverpool, United Kingdom. <br /><br />—On mythology and etymology— <br /><br />In Greek mythology, the Hesperides are the nymphs of evening and golden light of sunsets, who were the \"Daughters of the Evening\" or \"Nymphs of the West\". They were also called the Atlantides from their reputed father, the Titan Atlas. <br /><br />Hesperides means \"originating from Hesperos\" (evening). Hesperos, or \"Vesper\" in Latin, is the origin of the name Hesperus, the evening star (i.e. the planet Venus) as well as having a shared root with the English word \"west\". <br /><br />—On the painting— <br /><br />\" 'The Garden of the Hesperides' depicts the three daughters of Hesperus or the God of Evening, the Hesperides, resting. The picture draws its theme from the ancient myth in which the Hesperides were assigned by the Goddess Hera (Juno) to guard the golden apples which she had been given on her wedding to Zeus by Earth (Zeus' mother). <br /><br />\"The theft of the apples is well known as one of the Heracles' Ten Labours. In the painting, the Hesperides sing to the unsleeping dragon (or snake), Ladon, in the garden at the end of the world where the apples were kept. The long sinuous curves of the snake, of the swan’s neck and of the girls’ arms are reflected in the shape of the painting. <br /><br />\"Flat patterns predominated, particularly in the intricate flutter of the central girl’s drapery. The result is an image of classical perfection and balance – all the more precious as soon Hercules will steal the apples and bring strife to the world. Leighton was the leading artist of the classical revival, here represented in its late, very formal, stage. <br /><br />\"The lavish colours of the painting and the beauty of the scene make it extremely difficult to predict the invasion of Hercules, the slaying of the dragon and theft of the apples. <br /><br />[...] <br /><br />\"Leighton who had a classical education, surely knew the myth but might have also drawn his inspiration from the following passage of 'Comus' by the British poet Milton (1608-1674): <br /><br /> \" '…the liquid ayr All amid the Gardens fair Of Hesperus and his daughters three That sing about the golden tree' <br /><br />\"The passage seems to match well the imagery and mood of Leighton's painting.\" <br /><br />—Lady Lever Art Gallery <br /><br /><a href=\"https://www.minds.com/search?f=top&t=all&q=FineArt\" title=\"#FineArt\" class=\"u-url hashtag\" target=\"_blank\">#FineArt</a> <a href=\"https://www.minds.com/search?f=top&t=all&q=Academicism\" title=\"#Academicism\" class=\"u-url hashtag\" target=\"_blank\">#Academicism</a> <a href=\"https://www.minds.com/search?f=top&t=all&q=NeoClassicism\" title=\"#NeoClassicism\" class=\"u-url hashtag\" target=\"_blank\">#NeoClassicism</a> <a href=\"https://www.minds.com/search?f=top&t=all&q=HistoryPainting\" title=\"#HistoryPainting\" class=\"u-url hashtag\" target=\"_blank\">#HistoryPainting</a>",
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"published": "2021-06-24T10:54:29+00:00",
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"content": "Sir Frederic Leighton (English, 1830–1896). \n\n\"The Garden of Herespides\" / 1891-2. \n\nOil on canvas, diameter: 169 cm (66.5 inches). Housed at Lady Lever Art Gallery, Liverpool, United Kingdom. \n\n—On mythology and etymology— \n\nIn Greek mythology, the Hesperides are the nymphs of evening and golden light of sunsets, who were the \"Daughters of the Evening\" or \"Nymphs of the West\". They were also called the Atlantides from their reputed father, the Titan Atlas. \n\nHesperides means \"originating from Hesperos\" (evening). Hesperos, or \"Vesper\" in Latin, is the origin of the name Hesperus, the evening star (i.e. the planet Venus) as well as having a shared root with the English word \"west\". \n\n—On the painting— \n\n\" 'The Garden of the Hesperides' depicts the three daughters of Hesperus or the God of Evening, the Hesperides, resting. The picture draws its theme from the ancient myth in which the Hesperides were assigned by the Goddess Hera (Juno) to guard the golden apples which she had been given on her wedding to Zeus by Earth (Zeus' mother). \n\n\"The theft of the apples is well known as one of the Heracles' Ten Labours. In the painting, the Hesperides sing to the unsleeping dragon (or snake), Ladon, in the garden at the end of the world where the apples were kept. The long sinuous curves of the snake, of the swan’s neck and of the girls’ arms are reflected in the shape of the painting. \n\n\"Flat patterns predominated, particularly in the intricate flutter of the central girl’s drapery. The result is an image of classical perfection and balance – all the more precious as soon Hercules will steal the apples and bring strife to the world. Leighton was the leading artist of the classical revival, here represented in its late, very formal, stage. \n\n\"The lavish colours of the painting and the beauty of the scene make it extremely difficult to predict the invasion of Hercules, the slaying of the dragon and theft of the apples. \n\n[...] \n\n\"Leighton who had a classical education, surely knew the myth but might have also drawn his inspiration from the following passage of 'Comus' by the British poet Milton (1608-1674): \n\n \" '…the liquid ayr All amid the Gardens fair Of Hesperus and his daughters three That sing about the golden tree' \n\n\"The passage seems to match well the imagery and mood of Leighton's painting.\" \n\n—Lady Lever Art Gallery \n\n#FineArt #Academicism #NeoClassicism #HistoryPainting",
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"content": "Here is the wonderfully cheeky and humorous preface that Isaac Asimov wrote for Sir Arthur C. Clarke's collection of stories, TALES FROM PLANET EARTH (Legend, 1989), as well as Clarke's brief response. <br /><br />\"Arthur Charles Clarke (b. 1917) is, of all science fiction writers, the one who is most like me. <br /><br />\"He would, of course, deny this hotly. He would point out – quite correctly – that he is more than two years older than I am, that he is much balder than I am, and that he is much less handsome than I am. But what of that? It is no disgrace to be ancient, bald and ugly. <br /><br />\"Where the similarity comes in is that Arthur has had (like myself) a thoroughgoing scientific education, and he makes use of it to write what is called ‘hard science fiction.’ His style is something like mine, and we are often confused – at least our books are. <br /><br />\"The first science fiction book that my dear wife, Janet, ever read was Arthur’s CHILDHOOD'S END; the second was my FOUNDATION AND EMPIRE. Unable to remember which was which in very clear fashion, she ended up marrying me when I think she was after Arthur. <br /><br />\"Here, however, is a collection of Arthur’s science fiction stories, science fiction dealing with science, extrapolated intelligently. How you will enjoy it! <br /><br />\"I must tell you something about Arthur. We have known each other for some forty years and in all that time we have never stopped heaving loving insults at each other. (This is also true of Harlan Ellison and myself, and of Lester del Rey and myself.) It’s a form of male bonding. Women, I’m afraid, don’t understand this. <br /><br />\"When two gentlemen of the lower–class persuasion meet each other (two cowboys, two truckdrivers) one is liable to hit the other a thwack on the shoulder and say, ‘How are you, you consarned varmint, you double–dealing son of a bitch.’ That is roughly the equivalent of saying, ‘Greetings, my friend, and how are you getting along?’ <br /><br />\"Well, Arthur and I do the same but, of course, in formal English to which we endeavor to introduce a soupçon of wit. Thus, last year a plane crashed in Iowa and roughly half the passengers were killed while half survived. It turned out that one of the survivors had kept calm during the perilous attempts to land by reading an Arthur C. Clarke novel and this was reported in a news article. <br /><br />\"Arthur, as is his wont, promptly Xeroxed five million copies of the article and sent one to everyone he knew or ever heard of. I got one of them and at the bottom of the copy he sent to me, he wrote in his handwriting, ‘What a pity he didn’t read one of your novels. He would have slept through the whole wretched ordeal.’<br /><br />\"It was the work of a moment to send Arthur a letter which said, ‘On the contrary, the reason he was reading your novel was that if the plane did crash, death would come as a blessed release.’ <br /><br />\"I recited this exchange of loving commentary at the World Science Fiction Convention held in Boston over the Labor Day weekend in 1989. One woman who reported on the convention heard the tale with shocked disapproval. I don’t know her, but I imagine her to be chemically free of any sense of humor and to know nothing of any form of male bonding – any form. In any case, my remark knocked her right out of her bloomers, and she spoke very disapprovingly of it in Locus. <br /><br />\"Of course, I wouldn’t dream of allowing any ridiculous woman to get in the way of any loving exchanges Arthur and I might have, so I’ll end with another one. This time I’ll start it. <br /><br />\"I am writing this introduction without charge out of sheer love for Arthur. He, of course, would never dream of returning the favor because he is a penny–pincher and doesn’t have my loving ability to place artistry and benevolence above sheer pelf. <br /><br />\"There! I await, with a certain dread, Arthur’s answer.\" <br /><br />—Isaac Asimov (American, 1920–1992) <br /><br />Portrait of Asimov by Rowena Morrill, for Asimov's OPUS 200 (Dell, 1980). Image cropped from the top. <br /><br />—CLARKE'S RESPONSE— <br /><br />\"I was delighted to read Isaac’s introduction to TALES FROM PLANET EARTH. As he says, I’m the writer who most resembles him. To repeat a remark I made before, we’re both almost as good as we <think> we are. <br /><br />\"One minor correction: I didn’t send out five million copies of the 'Time' article Isaac refers to. I sent only one – to Isaac himself, knowing full well that he would pass on the news to the rest of the world. <br /><br />\"Finally, here’s my reply to his closing challenge in the way that will give him the greatest apprehension. <br /><br />\"I hereby volunteer to write the preface for his next book.\" <br /><br />—Sir Arthur C. Clarke (English, 1917–2008). <br /><br />This brief response to Asimov's preface was included in the same book as a \"Preface Addendum\". <br /><br /><a href=\"https://www.minds.com/search?f=top&t=all&q=QuotesAndExcerpts\" title=\"#QuotesAndExcerpts\" class=\"u-url hashtag\" target=\"_blank\">#QuotesAndExcerpts</a> <a href=\"https://www.minds.com/search?f=top&t=all&q=People\" title=\"#People\" class=\"u-url hashtag\" target=\"_blank\">#People</a> <a href=\"https://www.minds.com/search?f=top&t=all&q=Authors\" title=\"#Authors\" class=\"u-url hashtag\" target=\"_blank\">#Authors</a> <a href=\"https://www.minds.com/search?f=top&t=all&q=ScienceFictionAuthors\" title=\"#ScienceFictionAuthors\" class=\"u-url hashtag\" target=\"_blank\">#ScienceFictionAuthors</a>",
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"content": "Here is the wonderfully cheeky and humorous preface that Isaac Asimov wrote for Sir Arthur C. Clarke's collection of stories, TALES FROM PLANET EARTH (Legend, 1989), as well as Clarke's brief response. \n\n\"Arthur Charles Clarke (b. 1917) is, of all science fiction writers, the one who is most like me. \n\n\"He would, of course, deny this hotly. He would point out – quite correctly – that he is more than two years older than I am, that he is much balder than I am, and that he is much less handsome than I am. But what of that? It is no disgrace to be ancient, bald and ugly. \n\n\"Where the similarity comes in is that Arthur has had (like myself) a thoroughgoing scientific education, and he makes use of it to write what is called ‘hard science fiction.’ His style is something like mine, and we are often confused – at least our books are. \n\n\"The first science fiction book that my dear wife, Janet, ever read was Arthur’s CHILDHOOD'S END; the second was my FOUNDATION AND EMPIRE. Unable to remember which was which in very clear fashion, she ended up marrying me when I think she was after Arthur. \n\n\"Here, however, is a collection of Arthur’s science fiction stories, science fiction dealing with science, extrapolated intelligently. How you will enjoy it! \n\n\"I must tell you something about Arthur. We have known each other for some forty years and in all that time we have never stopped heaving loving insults at each other. (This is also true of Harlan Ellison and myself, and of Lester del Rey and myself.) It’s a form of male bonding. Women, I’m afraid, don’t understand this. \n\n\"When two gentlemen of the lower–class persuasion meet each other (two cowboys, two truckdrivers) one is liable to hit the other a thwack on the shoulder and say, ‘How are you, you consarned varmint, you double–dealing son of a bitch.’ That is roughly the equivalent of saying, ‘Greetings, my friend, and how are you getting along?’ \n\n\"Well, Arthur and I do the same but, of course, in formal English to which we endeavor to introduce a soupçon of wit. Thus, last year a plane crashed in Iowa and roughly half the passengers were killed while half survived. It turned out that one of the survivors had kept calm during the perilous attempts to land by reading an Arthur C. Clarke novel and this was reported in a news article. \n\n\"Arthur, as is his wont, promptly Xeroxed five million copies of the article and sent one to everyone he knew or ever heard of. I got one of them and at the bottom of the copy he sent to me, he wrote in his handwriting, ‘What a pity he didn’t read one of your novels. He would have slept through the whole wretched ordeal.’\n\n\"It was the work of a moment to send Arthur a letter which said, ‘On the contrary, the reason he was reading your novel was that if the plane did crash, death would come as a blessed release.’ \n\n\"I recited this exchange of loving commentary at the World Science Fiction Convention held in Boston over the Labor Day weekend in 1989. One woman who reported on the convention heard the tale with shocked disapproval. I don’t know her, but I imagine her to be chemically free of any sense of humor and to know nothing of any form of male bonding – any form. In any case, my remark knocked her right out of her bloomers, and she spoke very disapprovingly of it in Locus. \n\n\"Of course, I wouldn’t dream of allowing any ridiculous woman to get in the way of any loving exchanges Arthur and I might have, so I’ll end with another one. This time I’ll start it. \n\n\"I am writing this introduction without charge out of sheer love for Arthur. He, of course, would never dream of returning the favor because he is a penny–pincher and doesn’t have my loving ability to place artistry and benevolence above sheer pelf. \n\n\"There! I await, with a certain dread, Arthur’s answer.\" \n\n—Isaac Asimov (American, 1920–1992) \n\nPortrait of Asimov by Rowena Morrill, for Asimov's OPUS 200 (Dell, 1980). Image cropped from the top. \n\n—CLARKE'S RESPONSE— \n\n\"I was delighted to read Isaac’s introduction to TALES FROM PLANET EARTH. As he says, I’m the writer who most resembles him. To repeat a remark I made before, we’re both almost as good as we <think> we are. \n\n\"One minor correction: I didn’t send out five million copies of the 'Time' article Isaac refers to. I sent only one – to Isaac himself, knowing full well that he would pass on the news to the rest of the world. \n\n\"Finally, here’s my reply to his closing challenge in the way that will give him the greatest apprehension. \n\n\"I hereby volunteer to write the preface for his next book.\" \n\n—Sir Arthur C. Clarke (English, 1917–2008). \n\nThis brief response to Asimov's preface was included in the same book as a \"Preface Addendum\". \n\n#QuotesAndExcerpts #People #Authors #ScienceFictionAuthors",
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"content": "Don't know how many of you like King Arthur narratives, but if you don't mind something quite silly yet entertaining, then Guy Ritchie's KING ARTHUR: LEGEND OF THE SWORD (2017) might be worth watching. ",
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"content": "Don't know how many of you like King Arthur narratives, but if you don't mind something quite silly yet entertaining, then Guy Ritchie's KING ARTHUR: LEGEND OF THE SWORD (2017) might be worth watching. ",
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"content": "María de los Remedios Alicia Rodriga Varo y Uranga a.k.a. Remedios Varo (Spanish, 1908–1963). <br /><br />\"Vampiros Vegetarianos\" [\"Vegetarian Vampires\"] / 1962. <br /><br />Oil on canvas, 33.75 x 23.75 inches. <br /><br />Private collection. <br /><br />\"In 'Vampiros Vegetarianos', three mutant, vegetarian vampires appear mesmerised and huddled around a small bistro table, each feverishly feasting from long straws on a succulent meal of blood red fruits and vegetables. Two hybrid creatures, half rooster and half cat—reminiscent of those in the paintings of her friend Leonora Carrington—look on, tethered to their masters and eager to partake in this banquet. A fiery glow emanates from the vampires as they consume their meal and appear to regain a sense of vitality with each sip.\" <br /><br />—Virgilio Garza, Head of the Latin American Art department for Christie's <br /><br />Varo was one of the few notable female painters who was part of the early Surrealism movement. Her time spent in Barcelona and then in Paris introduced her to the Surrealists, and her paintings thereafter combined traditionalist techniques with Surrealist methods, and where her themes often dealt with mystical and philosophical inquiry, especially in visionary dreamscapes. <br /><br />While the movement of Visionary Art and Fantastic Realism have sprung from, and are iterations of, the work and philosophy of the original Surrealists, Varo's work seems to straddle a midway point. \"The dream world and the real world are the same\" was her refrain, and her surreal paintings often depict figures interacting with astral energies and planes, and other supernatural forces. <br /><br />She moved to Mexico in 1941 to escape fascism in Europe. She remained there till her death. <br /><br /><a href=\"https://www.minds.com/search?f=top&t=all&q=FineArt\" title=\"#FineArt\" class=\"u-url hashtag\" target=\"_blank\">#FineArt</a> <a href=\"https://www.minds.com/search?f=top&t=all&q=ModernArt\" title=\"#ModernArt\" class=\"u-url hashtag\" target=\"_blank\">#ModernArt</a> <a href=\"https://www.minds.com/search?f=top&t=all&q=Surrealism\" title=\"#Surrealism\" class=\"u-url hashtag\" target=\"_blank\">#Surrealism</a> <a href=\"https://www.minds.com/search?f=top&t=all&q=TheSurrealists\" title=\"#TheSurrealists\" class=\"u-url hashtag\" target=\"_blank\">#TheSurrealists</a> ",
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"published": "2021-06-19T11:01:58+00:00",
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"content": "María de los Remedios Alicia Rodriga Varo y Uranga a.k.a. Remedios Varo (Spanish, 1908–1963). \n\n\"Vampiros Vegetarianos\" [\"Vegetarian Vampires\"] / 1962. \n\nOil on canvas, 33.75 x 23.75 inches. \n\nPrivate collection. \n\n\"In 'Vampiros Vegetarianos', three mutant, vegetarian vampires appear mesmerised and huddled around a small bistro table, each feverishly feasting from long straws on a succulent meal of blood red fruits and vegetables. Two hybrid creatures, half rooster and half cat—reminiscent of those in the paintings of her friend Leonora Carrington—look on, tethered to their masters and eager to partake in this banquet. A fiery glow emanates from the vampires as they consume their meal and appear to regain a sense of vitality with each sip.\" \n\n—Virgilio Garza, Head of the Latin American Art department for Christie's \n\nVaro was one of the few notable female painters who was part of the early Surrealism movement. Her time spent in Barcelona and then in Paris introduced her to the Surrealists, and her paintings thereafter combined traditionalist techniques with Surrealist methods, and where her themes often dealt with mystical and philosophical inquiry, especially in visionary dreamscapes. \n\nWhile the movement of Visionary Art and Fantastic Realism have sprung from, and are iterations of, the work and philosophy of the original Surrealists, Varo's work seems to straddle a midway point. \"The dream world and the real world are the same\" was her refrain, and her surreal paintings often depict figures interacting with astral energies and planes, and other supernatural forces. \n\nShe moved to Mexico in 1941 to escape fascism in Europe. She remained there till her death. \n\n#FineArt #ModernArt #Surrealism #TheSurrealists ",
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"content": "KING ARTHUR: LEGEND OF THE SWORD (2017), directed by Guy Ritchie. <br /><br />Have you seen this film? If yes, then what did you think? <br /><br />This is not a film for King Arthur purists. <br /><br />In fact, the opening sequence immediately disabuses you of any preconceptions you might hold with respect to standard elements in a King Arthur narrative, and that is actually a boon. Once you quickly accept that this is too liberal an interpretation to warrant any similarity with the source material aside from some essential signifiers (sword in the stone, some key names, etc.), then it actually becomes easier to enjoy. <br /><br />As incongruous as it may sound, a loose Arthur story overlaid with a brash and comically gritty LOCK, STOCK AND TWO SMOKING BARRELS sensibility for which the director is famous makes for a silly but surprisingly fun venture. The Arthur here is less a noble hero of old than he is a streetwise hustler in the underbelly of Londonium. It's a film full of anachronisms: modern working-class speech; grifts, hustles, whorehouses, and corrupt officials in the seedier environs of the city that wouldn't be out of place in contemporary London; a modern soundtrack; and the director's signature and quirky stylistic impulses, such as fast-paced montages that provide sequences of events in quick-time, all of which seem more apt for contemporary crime films. The plot is much simpler than the typically convoluted caper features from Ritchie's early career, but there is plenty of action with a decidedly rowdy energy (there's even a Chinese Kung-Fu school of all things), the heist-like hatching of plans as a precursor to a field operation, some exciting chases where the visual spectacle reaches its peak, and also some mediocre CGI effects giving it all a video game aesthetic when these elements are in play. <br /><br />Definitely not the kind of film to score well with critics, but also definitely an evening of fun if rather inane entertainment to which you can avail yourself if you're willing to forgive its ludicrous handling of the Matter of Britain. It certainly makes no claims at even a smidgen of anthropological realism, but that makes it surprisingly more bearable than if it had (viz. 2004's atrocious KING ARTHUR). <br /><br /><a href=\"https://www.minds.com/search?f=top&t=all&q=FilmRecommendation\" title=\"#FilmRecommendation\" class=\"u-url hashtag\" target=\"_blank\">#FilmRecommendation</a> <a href=\"https://www.minds.com/search?f=top&t=all&q=Fantasy\" title=\"#Fantasy\" class=\"u-url hashtag\" target=\"_blank\">#Fantasy</a> <a href=\"https://www.minds.com/search?f=top&t=all&q=HistoricalFantasy\" title=\"#HistoricalFantasy\" class=\"u-url hashtag\" target=\"_blank\">#HistoricalFantasy</a> <a href=\"https://www.minds.com/search?f=top&t=all&q=KingArthur\" title=\"#KingArthur\" class=\"u-url hashtag\" target=\"_blank\">#KingArthur</a> ",
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"content": "KING ARTHUR: LEGEND OF THE SWORD (2017), directed by Guy Ritchie. \n\nHave you seen this film? If yes, then what did you think? \n\nThis is not a film for King Arthur purists. \n\nIn fact, the opening sequence immediately disabuses you of any preconceptions you might hold with respect to standard elements in a King Arthur narrative, and that is actually a boon. Once you quickly accept that this is too liberal an interpretation to warrant any similarity with the source material aside from some essential signifiers (sword in the stone, some key names, etc.), then it actually becomes easier to enjoy. \n\nAs incongruous as it may sound, a loose Arthur story overlaid with a brash and comically gritty LOCK, STOCK AND TWO SMOKING BARRELS sensibility for which the director is famous makes for a silly but surprisingly fun venture. The Arthur here is less a noble hero of old than he is a streetwise hustler in the underbelly of Londonium. It's a film full of anachronisms: modern working-class speech; grifts, hustles, whorehouses, and corrupt officials in the seedier environs of the city that wouldn't be out of place in contemporary London; a modern soundtrack; and the director's signature and quirky stylistic impulses, such as fast-paced montages that provide sequences of events in quick-time, all of which seem more apt for contemporary crime films. The plot is much simpler than the typically convoluted caper features from Ritchie's early career, but there is plenty of action with a decidedly rowdy energy (there's even a Chinese Kung-Fu school of all things), the heist-like hatching of plans as a precursor to a field operation, some exciting chases where the visual spectacle reaches its peak, and also some mediocre CGI effects giving it all a video game aesthetic when these elements are in play. \n\nDefinitely not the kind of film to score well with critics, but also definitely an evening of fun if rather inane entertainment to which you can avail yourself if you're willing to forgive its ludicrous handling of the Matter of Britain. It certainly makes no claims at even a smidgen of anthropological realism, but that makes it surprisingly more bearable than if it had (viz. 2004's atrocious KING ARTHUR). \n\n#FilmRecommendation #Fantasy #HistoricalFantasy #KingArthur ",
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