Stuff we're reading / watching / listening to

[Zedability]

Well, I found his preface to the 25-year anniversary edition interesting. He said he realized after he wrote GEB that there were no female characters. And then he talked about the subtle sexism that exists where a male character is "neutral," but a female character is only introduced for a reason. For a variety of reasons, he didn't change his characters to be female, even though the sexism bothered him. When they started translating GEB into French, they ran into the problem that "tortoise" is "tortue" in French, which is female, so they asked him if they could change the gender of the character, and he was really pleased with the result. It's that kind of thing, just how the structural differences of languages impacts how a book is written, that I find fascinating.

[Katya]

Well, I found his preface to the 25-year anniversary edition interesting. He said he realized after he wrote GEB that there were no female characters. And then he talked about the subtle sexism that exists where a male character is "neutral," but a female character is only introduced for a reason. For a variety of reasons, he didn't change his characters to be female, even though the sexism bothered him. When they started translating GEB into French, they ran into the problem that "tortoise" is "tortue" in French, which is female, so they asked him if they could change the gender of the character, and he was really pleased with the result. It's that kind of thing, just how the structural differences of languages impacts how a book is written, that I find fascinating.

Aww, that's really sweet. I must have read an earlier edition, because I don't remember that preface. (Actually, now that I think about it, I couldn't have read that edition, because I read it before 2004, because I am oooold. )

[Katya]

Also, apparently Terry Pratchett has run into similar problems with his character Death (who is male), even though the word "death" is feminine in many European languages:

Pratchett's French translator actually got out of it with what I thought a very clever approach: he turned it into a running gag. Every first appearance of Death in a book will include a footnote to the effect of his maleness. They are actually perfectly in the tone of a typical Pratchett footnote, too. By the latter books, they go something like "We are not going to bother explaining anymore".

http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p ... ent-113830

[yayfulness]

I followed a link on that page which showed me this comic, which is awesome.

[Zedability]

I followed a link on that page which showed me this comic, which is awesome.

Hahaha, I've seen that one

[UffishThought]

I finished reading Dracula. A surprisingly good read! I recommend it!

Isn't it? I was kind of shocked when I read it, too--I was expecting a kind of shallow cheesy horror story, but it's not that at all.

[TheAnswerIs42]

Has anyone found anything good on the Kindle lending library? The last few books I have gotten were highly ranked garbage, with horribly predictable plots, flat characters and errors. Seriously, how easy is it to get published on there? Anyway, any good recommendations?

[Giovanni Schwartz]

It's incredibly easy to self-publish on Kindle.

Or so I hear.

[mic0]

I know a guy who has self-published a number of short stories and a novel or two there. I think the short stories are mostly free; the only title I can remember is "Memoirs of a Snowflake." I haven't actually read any of it myself, but there you have it. :\

[UffishThought]

I just finished watching Speak. I love the book, and the movie's not bad (even though it has Kristin Stewart), but there was one addition to the plot I really didn't like. And then I looked it up in the book, and it's there, too. I don't know how I missed it before.

I'm a crier anyway and the rough subject matter doesn't help, and I think I cry every time I read or watch it. I don't know how I'm going to get through teaching it to 4 classes of sophomores.

[bobtheenchantedone]

I recently rewatched Gypsy, a movie musical based on the life of a stripper!

[mic0]

I just finished watching Speak. I love the book, and the movie's not bad (even though it has Kristin Stewart), but there was one addition to the plot I really didn't like. And then I looked it up in the book, and it's there, too. I don't know how I missed it before.

I'm a crier anyway and the rough subject matter doesn't help, and I think I cry every time I read or watch it. I don't know how I'm going to get through teaching it to 4 classes of sophomores.

You're teaching Speak? That's pretty cool. I read it in junior high school on my own (and all my friends did, too, it was cool and edgy!), and saw the movie (and cried ). Anyway, I'd agree the movie's not bad, but both book and movie are... intense. In the good way.

[yayfulness]

Just read the intro to the Wikipedia article, and it sounds pretty good. I'll make sure I read it if I ever get the chance.

[mic0]

Yayfulness, did you add a smiley to the end of the intro on the Wikipedia article? Cause that would very much fit your 'nym, you know.

[yayfulness]

Hahaha. No I did not. I do tend to draw smiley faces on random things, though.

[Digit]

Sometimes you can go your whole life knowing a familiar tune but never knowing the proper name of it. I just now for the first time connected a name to this familiar song with the "Wabadabadap-wabadabadap": Un Homme Et Une Femme.

[Katya]

Sometimes you can go your whole life knowing a familiar tune but never knowing the proper name of it. I just now for the first time connected a name to this familiar song with the "Wabadabadap-wabadabadap": Un Homme Et Une Femme.

!

I think that's one of those songs that was so ingrained in my psyche that I didn't even realize it had an origin.

[Digit]

There's another familiar tune I've never been able to find the name of. Using virtual piano, it starts out with:
B24 D27 E29 (short pause) F#31 F30 E29 (short pause) B24 D27 E29 F#31 (F#31 played a little longer) F30 E29
A#23 C#26 D#28 (short pause) F30 E29 D#28 (short pause) A#23 C#26 D#28 F30 (F30 played a little longer) E29 D#28

[Fredjikrang]

I'm watching "El Caballero Negro" or, in English, The Princess Bride. Sadly not all of the rhymes were translated. But there are some good moments. (Suene con angeles gigantes!) Oh, and Indigo has a real Spanish accent.

[Giovanni Schwartz]

IN THE GARDEN OF YOUR MIND.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFzXaFbxDcM

PBS FTW.