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There is never finality in the display terminal's screen, but an irresponsible whimsicality, as words, sentences, and paragraphs are negated at the touch of a key. The significance of the past, as expressed in the manuscript by a deleted word or an inserted correction, is annulled in idle gusts of electronic massacre. |
Saturday, August 30, 1997
Friday night was Judgment Day! Did you watch Terminator or Terminator 2?
Jayson set up his basement as a suitably bunker-like environment. The two televisions and extra speakers made it a multimedia experience. We had a good crowd, including some new folks. Terminator was gripping. I always enjoy that movie and its sequel. I even have the special edition laser disk of T2, with special footage and extra "making of" documentary. I've always liked Linda Hamilton, ever since the Beauty and the Beast TV series.
The second feature was Tron, which I had never seen before, except bits and pieces. I really liked it! It wasn't a success when it first came out, but I think they did a good job with the effects, and the story wasn't too inane, once you allow the premise of the guy being downloaded into the computer system. That's what Johnny Carson used to say: "You buy the premise, you buy the bit."
The Tron video game was one of my favorites in the early eighties. I remember spending time at my local convenience store playing it, even getting all the way through. It was unusual in that it was constructed in several sections which were really games in themselves. Of course, I was better at some than others, but if I was lucky or invested extra quarters, I could succeed sometimes.
After Tron we started 2001, but I left after they got to the space station. It was getting late, and one of the people there was starting to make too many "jokes". Althought the evening wasn't designed as just a movie viewing event, I really didn't want to endure a MST3K experience when the smart remarks aren't smart.
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I spent the day at my computer, finishing my diary critiques, working on a journal design for next month, and exploring a huge clipart archive I bought a while back. Apparently we may start critiquing the critique-ers! Should we start another list for that? House of Mirrors!
I read a few new journals. I guess it's easy to forget when writing a journal, that you need navigation links forward and back between entries, as well as to the index page. Few of the people doing this type of site have studied up on information design, and I'm not saying they need to! But the bare necessities should be there. People probably don't usually page through their own diaries from the beginning. If they did they would see the patterns in their own behavior, their characteristic turns of phrase, and the life mistakes they make over and over. They would also see that readers need navigation links.
So the CD-ROM archive has some very nice images! The bead and candy archives are especially interesting.
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Poor Royal family! I had heard the news of the accident early in the evening, but I literally exclaimed aloud when they announced Princess Diana's death. The NPR station I listen to plays the BBC World Service during the nighttime, so I am hearing the story over and over. Strangest person to be quoted: Henry Kissinger! They are playing The Pavanne for a Dead Princess in between the news items.
One thing that seems especially sad: I think she is unique as a public figure, in that the moment of her marriage is the most remembered moment of her life. That image has always been iconic, overloaded. The beautiful blond and the prince in uniform. If she had lived longer, perhaps she could have built an independent life, accomplished something besides being the divorced princess.
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