Monday, October 18, 2010

The New York Stories of Henry James (New York Review Books Classics)Way We Live Now (The Modern Library Classics)
I'm currently reading The Way We Live Now by Anthony Trollope and love the way so many of the things it tackles still apply now. I love Trollope AND I love Henry James and each is so different than the other. I "googled" their names together to see if anyone has ever written about both of them in the same article and this is what I found...wish it were full text:

The Henry James Review

Volume 27, Number 1, Winter 2006

E-ISSN: 1080-6555 Print ISSN: 0273-0340
DOI: 10.1353/hjr.2006.0005
Michie, Elsie B. (Elsie Browning), 1948-
The Odd Couple: Anthony Trollope and Henry James
The Henry James Review - Volume 27, Number 1, Winter 2006, pp. 10-23

The Johns Hopkins University Press


"The Odd Couple: Anthony Trollope and Henry James" reads the two authors as a literary version of the famous television odd couple, with James a fastidious Felix Unger reacting with disgust but also attraction to Trollope, a self-consciously messy and vulgar Oscar Madison. James's disgust is articulated most powerfully in his early reviews of Trollope, but the terms of those reviews and the details of James's novels suggest that he found in Trollope's The Prime Minister a touchstone against which to work out the plots of Washington Square and The Portrait of a Lady.
Anthems For A Seventeen Year Old GirlAnthems For A Seventeen Year Old Girl
I love the song "Anthems for a Seventeen Year Old Girl" by Broken Social Scene...last night I was driving home (late at night when all the dashboard lights and quiet music on in the car calms me so much) listening to the Scott Pilgrim soundtrack when BSS's song caught me by surprise. I didn't know it was on the soundtrack and hadn't heard it in a while and my breath caught in my throat the way it does when you're crazy about a song you think you only know about (more in a special "intimate" way than in a smug, selfish way).

I love the slightly whispery electronic, coldly distant (but still sad) sound to the singing voice and the lyrics, oh the lyrics!!

Used to be the one of the rotten ones
And I liked you for that
Now you're all gone, got your make-up on
And you're not coming back


Bleachin' your teeth, smiling flash
Talking trash, under your breath
Bleachin' your teeth, smiling flash
Talking trash, under my window

Park that car, drop that phone,
Sleep on the floor, dream about me

Used to be the one of the rotten ones
And I liked you for that
Now you're all gone, got your make-up on
And you're not coming back 



There really is something about being seventeen (not sixteen, not eighteen, but seventeen!) that feels deserving of an anthem, like if you survive that age, you've earned your battle scars and can get through anything yet to come. Seventeen can be such a vulnerable age, whether you're going through a period of self-doubt, confusion, that hard-hitting bout of first love....puberty is usually associated with struggling to get through hard times, but I always thought seventeen was the age that really came at you with a vengeance.
Cleverbot is a rather interesting website if you're in the mood for a quirky conversation with a computer. The warning label on the site isn't kidding when it states that "Cleverbot" can occasionally say inappropriate things (when I typed "How do you do?" it responded with "I'd do you, too." It can come off as flirty or even overly sexual due to unintentional innuendos...and sometimes it will actually argue with you...most often about which one of you is human or robot.

Here's a great explanation off of Yahoo Answers about Cleverbot:

Best Answer - Chosen by Voters

The technology behind Cleverbot works on a different principle to that of other artificial intelligence software being developed. The system is designed to learn language and context through interaction with humans. There are no fixed rules or principles programmed into the system and it operates entirely through user interaction. The system stores all of the conversations and user comments and attempts to use this information to find the most appropriate response.

The program therefore creates a massive database of contextually appropriate conversations and chooses an appropriate response it has learnt from a previous user when holding a conversation.


The system is also designed to speak foreign languages and claims to be able to learn and respond appropriately if enough information is provided. In a similar way the system claims to be able to learn slang English, games, jokes and word games - even song lyrics.

Source(s):

Wikipedia plus a conversation.
Honestly,only a robot would say this....

User: You know why they call it an Xbox360, right?


Cleverbot: I'm 'Cumming' Over. Right?


User: Because when you see it, you turn 360 degrees and walk away.


Cleverbot: No because then you would be facing it and that would be unfunny.


User: Touche.


Cleverbot: So is Solipism epistemological or ontological?


User: YOUR A ******* ROBOT.


Cleverbot: I'm a little overweight, but it doesn't concern me. Mostly I live for my mind.


User: YOUR A ROBOT GOD DAMNIT!


Cleverbot: I know. I can do it, but I don't want to help a human cheat.


User: You are a bot.


Cleverbot: That doesn't make sense.


User: Yes,it does.you are not a human ,you're a robot.


Cleverbot: No you.


User: No you are the robot!


Cleverbot: We're both robots.


User: No,i am the human.


Cleverbot: No!!! I am!!!! Robot!!!!


User: So you admit you're a robot?


Cleverbot: Yes, but don't tell anybody.
  • 11 months ago
Smallville: The Complete Ninth Season

Last night I watched the 200th episode of Smallville and while it wasn't the best one ever it certainly was one of the most touching....here's what one blogger has to say about it:

about.com's review of Smallville

One of the ongoing themes in the show (how one's past and guilt can pull darkness into his soul) was especially present in the 200th episode. The idea that worrying about the future to the point you can't function very well in the present was also explored.

There is an especially sweet closing scene with Lois and Clark that I just adored...it's nice sometimes to see tough characters like Lois become a little vulnerable and finally open up enough to to trust someone. If you're a Smallville fan and haven't seen it yet, you'll definitely want to catch up with this episode!:)
Curse of the Wolf GirlLonely Werewolf Girl

So excited to discover there's a sequel to my favorite book in the world ...Lonely Werewolf Girl. I bought the book last night at my local Barnes and Noble....


more info here