Book to the Future: What Book Would You Memorize for Humanity?

What book would you save if books were outlawed and the penalty for keeping them is death?

I've often pondered this question since watching the movie Fahrenheit 451 many years ago. The film is based on Ray Bradbury's novella of the same name (the title refers to the temperature at which book paper ignites when exposed to heat) and it depicts a future where reading is lethal - literally.

The world is on the verge of nuclear war and its human inhabitants, oblivious of the unfolding mayhem, are pacified with state-sanctioned drugs and mind-numbing entertainment.

Anyone found with a book is burned - along with it - by a squad of "firemen", one of whom begins to harbor doubts about his profession after meeting a young girl who is more alive and vibrant than everyone else. She inspires him to question a society that bans reading and keeps its citizens ignorant and docile.

He becomes a fugitive after saving a book from destruction and his wife betrays him to the authorities. He flees the city shortly before it's bombed and heads for the forest where he's heard a small resistance movement lives.

When he finds them, he learns they have memorized - word for word - their favourite book and they keep each volume alive because they recite its contents to one another every day. The idea is that, eventually, books will be valued again and the exiles will be free to transcribe their contents.

Years ago, I tutored students in spelling and grammar. After recounting Bradbury's story, I'd ask them what book they'd save for future generations and this exercise became the basis for most of their literacy work. Each student enjoyed memorizing a beloved book and, in the process, their spelling, grammar and comprehension improved dramatically.

This is because I would have them learn each sentence with meticulous attention to correct spelling and punctuation, as they would have to transcribe it for homework (without looking at the book) exactly as written. If they complained, I would tell them their descendants would be short-changed if they inherited second-rate copies of the original. The protests would stop instantly.

I mention my tutoring experience with Fahrenheit 451 because there's something powerful about Bradbury's story. It resonates with me, as it did with my young students, and perhaps with good reason. Who knows what the next few decades will bring? especially if the human tendency to fanaticism is reinforced by the stress of climate change, overpopulation and environmental degradation. Books - quickly destroyed and forgotten - are an easy target for oppressive governments and their absence allows ignorance to thrive.

So, what book would you risk your life for? What book speaks to you so strongly that you would memorize its contents for future generations? What really matters to you? Is it prose or poetry? If so, would it be the work of a single poet or an anthology of different poets? Is it a fiction or a non-fiction book? Is it practical or humorous? Romantic or scientific?

In my case, I'm sticking with something timeless. In fact, I've already started.

The book I'd choose to save is Ursula K. Le Guin's beautiful translation of Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching. It has a bit of everything: humor, wisdom, practicality and idealism. It's also easy to learn and I never tire of reciting parts of it each day.

It's a hobby for now because memorizing prose and poetry is good for the brain cells - but if books end up on a mass bonfire anytime soon, I'll be ready.

That's the book I'd save. What's yours? Providing useful articles, reviews and writings on movies and films online.

Wreck-It Ralph: It Sure Must Be Nice, Being the Good Guy

The movie involves the arcade being some kind of video game society, where characters from each game are free to wander from one game to another through a mainframe. The catch is, if they get killed outside their game they die for real. Also, if they fail to show up for work, the arcade owners will assume the game is on the fritz, it will be marked "out of order" and you run the risk of being permanently unplugged, leaving them homeless.

Ralph (voiced by John Reilly) is a character in a video game called "Fix It Felix Jr. where everybody takes him for granted, doing the same thing and seeing all the glory go to Felix (McBrayer), who fixes everything Ralph wrecks with the help of a magic hammer. Ralph has spent so many years watching the residents of the building reward Felix for his work while he has to go sleep in the dump on a bed of bricks every night that he has grown to resent his role in the world. He has been the bad guy so long that he has recoil from it.

Desperate enough to be redefined in the eyes of others and got tired of playing the role of a bad guy, he takes matters into his own massive hands and sets off on a game-hopping journey across the arcade through every generation of video games to prove he's got what it takes to be a hero. Ralph journeys to Game Central Station, the gateway to every game in the store and hops to a 'Starship Trooper'-like game called Hero's Duty and eventually lands up in another one called Sugar Rush. His object of attention is a medal he 'wins' in the former game and sort of - loses - in the latter.

The highlight of the film revolves around Ralph's relationship with that game's glitch, Vanellope, a bratty little girl voiced by an often grating Sarah Silverman, who wants nothing more than to win a race and gain her people's respect. Vanellope was being blackballed from the game's races by its bubbly despot, King Candy (Alan TudykBoth) who happens to be the selfish, jealous game player Turbo who was so obsessed with being the best racer that he abandoned his game in order to become the best racer in other, more popular games like "Sugar Rush".

The film is remarkable in that it takes you on a multi-generational gaming trip, while keeping true to its real story - a hero's dilemma - having to choose between doing the so-called right thing and keeping true to your friends. It was indeed a very good animated movie with a fantastic unique story. It was one of the outstanding animation films that take a moral standpoint. Providing useful articles, reviews and writings on movies and films online.

The Rise To Fame of Classic Zombie Movies

When it comes to classic zombie movies, everyone has their own favorites, and most can still remember the first time they sat in front of the television, watching a black and white portrayal of the undead slowly, but determinedly, chasing down their bumbling prey. Classic zombie movies are still a favorite amongst diehard fans, because they lend an element of gritty morbidity that pop culture based movies seem to lack these days; while this shouldn't take away from the latest releases within this genre, it definitely adds to the authority of the films that preceded them.

The reason why classic zombie movies seem to come with the tag line this is what actual zombies are supposed to look like, is because the archetype for these creatures stemmed from the Voodoo religion, which is, in essence, Haitian. When William S. Seabrook returned from his voyage to Haiti and published his travelogue, The magic island, westerners found themselves enthralled with the concept of a creature that rises from the grave due to the powers of a sorcerer called a Brokor. This fascination led to some of the best classic films on the subject, and all within a matter of a few decades.

Bela Lugosi's 'White Zombie' is perhaps one of the most famous classic films on this subject. It follows the story of a prosperous businessman by the name of Murder Legendre, based in Haiti, who has the power to transform men into zombies. When a man falls in love with a woman who is to marry someone else, he approaches the voodoo master for assistance, who then turns his beloved into a zombie. The movie itself is said to closely follow the writings of Seabrook, even going as far as mentioning the potion that was supposed to turn corpses into the undead slaves of the voodoo priest.

George Romero's 'The Night of the Living Dead' was another classic which altered the face of this genre, and remakes of this film continue to be released up until today. The film was released in 1968 and its reception was marked by shock and outrage, although when this subsided, it quickly became one of the penultimate favorite films on the subject. One of the reasons for its initial negative reception was the fact that it was gory, contained nudity, and the protagonist of the film was ultimately killed in the end. Basically, this film was unlike any other that had been released in the past, and it remains one of the most popular films based on the undead to date.

'The Night of the Living Dead' did not only alter the horror genre; it also added to the lore and myth surrounding these supernatural creatures. In the past, zombies were the creation of dark voodoo priests, but in this feature, they could transfer their supernatural abilities to others through a bite. The film also references methods on how to kill these creatures - shoot them through the head- which has become the first method of defense against the undead in countless films and games to date.

While classic zombie movies might have changed slightly during the first few decades when they began making their debuts on big screens all over the world, one thing remains certain; they inspired a fascination with these creatures that continues to thrive today. Providing articles, reviews and writings on movies online.

Video Production Explained

Videos strength lies in its simple ability to transport people to locations, illustrate concepts and convey far more than mere words, spoken or printed, ever can. Video is an effective and memorable way of communicating. Core messages and themes are reinforced using other forms of communication. Video footage has a long shelf life when used imaginatively in multimedia CD-ROMs, Websites, DVD and CD-Brochure formats.

Video has been revolutionised by the onset of digital shooting and editing. Shooting in broadcast quality used to involve cumbersome and expensive camera equipment, combined with analogue editing which required the copying of sections and consequent loss of quality with each successive generation. The process was time consuming, complicated and linear. Modern digital cameras are capable of shooting in broadcast quality. Editing is now carried out in a non-linear way on desktop computers; changes may be made at will, stored and reviewed at any time and in any order.

The advantages are similar to those gained by using a computer word processor over that of a mechanical typewriter and carbon copy paper for duplicates. Not only is digital editing highly flexible, but the medium enables an ever-expanding range of graphical effects to be applied - without loss of quality or corruption of the original footage. In consequence, the costs associated with making and producing a video have dropped dramatically. What was once the preserve of the large, rich and expansive corporation is now available and affordable to a much wider market - with the consequent advantages that this provides to internal company communications and team building along with external advantages in the selling of products or services to your market place.

The stages required to produce a video vary depending on the style and content; generally:

PRE-PRODUCTION involves briefing, research, location finding, administration, booking of facilities and writing a treatment outline (video content, description and approach to be adopted). After approval a shooting script including both narration and camera shots will be written.

SHOOTING follows the approved script and involves a camera crew and a director going to location/s to interview participants and shoot footage to illustrate, illuminate and reinforce the script. If required studio shoots are undertaken where controlled lighting and effects are employed - a product demonstration, for example is typically shot in this way.

POST-PRODUCTION includes recording of guide narration (using an edited script, which may change from the shooting script because of interviewee's comments etc.). Footage is edited to the guide narration, graphic and video effects generated and music and titles added. The resulting edit master is then client approved and amended as necessary. A final "voice over" is then effected incorporating final changes. The final master tape is complete and ready for duplication.

DUPLICATION is the transfer of masters onto the final format - which can be all or any of VHS, Betacam, Laserdisk, Digibeta, DVD, Mpeg, Avi and more. The final product is then packaged and presented in an appropriate way with print material for labels, inserts and sleeves.

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Let Us Create Movies For You!

Did you ever captured the precious moments of your life? People like to capture their precious moments of life. Did you ever like to turn your photos to movies? Of course, you might have tried. You cannot get a good sequential view of your photos. You will have to click every picture to get a view. Some people use the windows photos viewing applications to get one in all view of your photos. People may have wished to create movies from their pictures. It looks impressive, but regular and novice computer users cannot do so without having a good application. You should get a good application to create movies from your pictures. You need a good home Movie Maker Software application, which will let you create movies of your own pictures.

Internet is blessing you with multiple opportunities. You will find multiple applications, which can claim to serve you. You should always be careful, while you are going to announce the application. Always be careful, as a wrong choice may lead you towards wasting your time and finance. This application will let you embed new emotions in your photos. You will be capable of achieving the entire imagination, which you would have ever thought. It will provide a new look to you. You can easily achieve everything you would like. It will produce everything of your choice. This application is known as wonder share slideshow builder deluxe, it will make you capable of achieving your imagination.

This application comes from a reliable source of Movie Making Software, which has facilitated the computer users with multiple useful applications. It facilitated both; the Mac and windows users. It provides applications in Mac and Windows supported versions. This is an award winning application, as thousands of computer users used this application to create their movies. There are multiple advantages of this application; some of the key advantages are discussed for your assistance.

1- It will process the work fast. It will not waste your time, as some other applications may waste your time. This application understands the importance of your time; it will work in timely fashions. You cannot afford any other movies creating application, which turns to be slow.

2- This application will let you create movies of photos, which may have been produced by digital cameras. People like to capture their precious moments and beauty of nature. Now you can turn your photos to movies, as you will like to create movies of your choice.

3- It also provides you with DVD-burning facilities. You can easily burn you self created videos to DVD's, so that you can play them over your portable DVD-players.

4- It is and easy to use application, so it will not put any kind of burden over your shoulders. You just have to get this application; rest of the job will be done by the application itself.

5- This movie creating application is fast, reliable, efficient and affordable at the same time.

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Entertain Yourself By Watching Latest Movies Online

Watching movies online is becoming a very popular trend these days. A lot of individuals consider watching movies online rather than rushing to the rental houses and movie libraries. We all know that in today's digital era, people love to do things in a more advanced manner rather than following the traditional ways.

Expediency and fast momentum have taken place of the hard copies and sluggishness. Well, if you are not aware, then I would like to bring this to your knowledge that movie libraries and rental houses have noticed a dramatic fall in their profits due to the increased popularity of watching movies online. Watching your favorite movie online in of the easiest things a person can do in this modern day technological world.

If you are not aware, then I would like to tell you that there are numerous sources by which you can enjoy easy access to the latest movie trailers. If you want, you can also watch them online. There are a lot of websites that offer free of cost service to their viewers. However, some of the online websites charge normal charges for showing latest movie trailers. All these websites have a few things in common like ease in access, immediate satisfaction and total comfort of the viewers.

It is a fact that online movies are comprised with a high aspect ratio in comparison to the Dolby digital sound. If you want to watch your favorite movie, then you need not to take out some time from your busy schedule and rush to the nearest movie theatre. You can simply watch your favorite movie online. It not only helps in saving your precious time, but also helps in saving a great deal of money.

You can login to an appropriate website and watch the trailers as well as teasers of your favorite upcoming movies. You can save your money by watching the exclusive first look of the upcoming Hollywood movies. You can also gather information regarding the latest updates of the movies in production and post production periods. You can also collect information regarding movie stars, movie soundtracks and exclusive actions behind the scenes.

All that you need to do is to access the high speed internet connectivity in order to watch latest movies teasers and trailers online. There are a lot of people who have accepted the fact that watching movies online is one of the most easy and economical ways to enjoy movies.

So, these are some important facts that you need to know regarding watching latest movies online. I am sure that you can get all the latest movie updates over the internet.

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