Todd Mason sent me a link to the LOCUS lists of the best SF ever published. You can find those lists here. Todd mentioned that Ted Chiang managed to garner six spots on those lists that included Asimov, Heinlein, Clarke, and other giants of Science Fiction Land. I had read Ted Chiang’s The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate but nothing else. So I quickly acquired Stories of Your Life and Other Stories published in 2002 and Life Cycle of Software Objects published in 2010.

“Tower of Babylon” plays with the premise that miners could enter the Vault of Heaven from a tower that takes a year to climb. I loved “Understand,” a story about a man who takes the secret Hormone K and becomes super-intelligent. I did not like the ending and wish I could write a sequel that would set things right. “Division by Zero” explores the implications that arithmetic isn’t correct (I’ve secretly believed this for years). “The Story of Your Life” shows how humans process time is affected by using an alien language. “Seventy-Two Letters” is about golems. “The Evolution of Human Science” shows what happens when metahumans publish their advanced research that mere humans can’t process. “Hell Is the Absense of God” is my least favorite story. It involves angels. “Liking What You See: A Documentary” is a series of reactions by various characters to a chip that cancels out the human brain’s ability to recognize beauty or ugliness. As you can see, Chiang writes about a variety of topics.

Life Cycle of Software Objects tells what happens when a company sells virtual pets that may or may not have artificial intelligence. Like the other stories Chiang has published, there is little or no humor in these works. Chiang is big on science, mathematics, and linguistics. Do Chiang’s stories approach the classic stories of Asimov and Heinlein? This stories are good, but they’re not great. GRADE: B+

I’m reading Stella Adler’s book on classical playwrights and realized that I really wasn’t that familiar with Henrik Ibsen’s work. In college we read Enemy of the People and Hedda Gabler, but that is the extent of my knowledge. When I saw this BBC box set of Ibsen plays, I bought it. Ingrid Bergman and Michael Redgrave bring Hedda Gabler alive, Judi Dench and Michael Gambon are great in Ghosts, Anthony Hopkins and Diana Rigg scintillate in Little Eyolf, Denholm Elliot is brilliant in The Wild Duck, Sir Donald Wolfitt and Leo McKern are extraordinary in The Master Builder. DVD EXTRAS include eight radio plays of The Pretenders, Peer Gynt, Emperor and Galilean, The Pillars of Society, Rosmersholm, A Meeting in Rome, John Gabriel Borkman, and When We Dead Awaken. This is a fabulous set! GRADE: A

“This is essentially a book about stupidity, which, as Harlan Ellison stated, is the most common element in the universe along with hydrogen.” Charlie Campbell’s slim little book about blaming other people shows this method of defecting accountability has been around for a long time. Jews and women were blamed for the Black Plague (and paid with their lives). We saw a prime example of scapegoating last week at the Benghazi hearings. GRADE: A

Diane heard about Mummenschanz, the experimental Swiss mime group, on NPR. And, coincidentally, they were scheduled to perform at the SUNY at Buffalo Center for the Arts. So I bought tickets. I’m not a big mime guy, but Memmenschanz is unique. Plenty of wit, humor, and athletic skill go into their routines. The audience was full of kids who loved the wacky skits. If you’re looking for an over-the-top performance, check out Memmenschanz if they show up in your neighborhood. Check out the video from The Muppet Show below.

Parker is based on a Richard Stark (aka, Donald Westlake) novel called Flashfire. Parker is a professional thief and when a caper goes wrong, Parker goes after the guys who double-crossed him. Jason Statham plays Parker, Jennifer Lopez is a real estate agent, and Nick Nolte basically provides the information Parker needs to extract his revenge. I’m a fan of Jennifer Lopez since her terrific performance in Out of Sight. But, sadly, J-Lo is completely wasted here. Every scene she’s in could have cut without affecting the main action of the movie. If you’re looking for an above average action-movie, Parker fits the bill. Art Scott sent me a link to a great article on Donald Westlake. You can read the article here. GRADE: B+

Back in the 1970s, Hollywood expressed interest in turning Isaac Asimov’s classic SF novel, I, Robot into a movie. Things didn’t quite work out, although I, Robot later appeared as 2004 science-fiction action film directed by Alex Proyas with little (other than the title) in common with Asimov’s novel. I, Robot: The Illustrated Screenplay features Harlan Ellison’s screenplay which does embody some of the novel’s look and feel. The screenplay remains unfilmed. Ellison and Asimov agreed to have the screenplay serialized in Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine. This hardcover edition was published in 1987. If you’re an admirer of Asimov’s I, Robot and respect Harlan Ellison’s talents at writing scripts, this book should hold your attention.

Nate Silver correctly picked Obama to win the 2012 Presidential Election. But, what’s more impressive is he predicted correctly how 50 out of 50 states would vote. Nate Silver’s FiveThirtyEight blog was must reading for political junkies during the Presidential Campaign. Now, in The Signal & The Noise Nate Silver explains his methods in making such accurate predictions. My favorite chapter is Chapter Eight where Nate introduces us to his friend Bob who makes about a million dollars a year (sometimes $3 million or $4 million) betting solely on NBA games. Bob uses methods similar to Nate Silver’s. Nate also tells us how he made $400,000 playing poker. If you’re a gambler, this book is must-reading. If you’re just curious about how you can deal with the Future more competently, The Signal & The Noise is well worth a look. I found the book and its message completely fascinating! GRADE: A

The generous Scott Cupp sent me a copy of Seabury Quinn’s Roads and I read the slim volume within an hour. The story concerns a Barbarian working for the Romans a couple thousand years ago. The Barbarian gains his freedom and then embarks on some adventures. I also loved the Virgil Finlay interior illustrations. You can read Scott’s fine, more detailed review here. Roads is the perfect book for the Holiday Season! GRADE: A

Jack Reacher is based on Lee Child’s novel, One Shot. A former U. S. Army sniper shoots five people in Pittsburgh (in the book, it was a city in Indiana). When arrested, the sniper says, “Get me Jack Reacher.” Tom Cruise shows up (which is shocking because Jack Reacher in Lee Child’s novels is 6’5″, 250 pounds of muscle). There are plenty of twists in the plot (both in the movie and the book) that will produce plenty of head-scratching. But, no matter. Jack Reacher is an effective action movie. If you’re up for some high-grade excitement, watch Jack Reacher. I saw this movie with a Free Ticket provided by Regal Theaters. GRADE: B+