This story in the NYT is a bit old, but it struck me as interesting enough to resurrect. (Oddly, it reminded me of passages about Scyles in Herodotus' History--- not sure why.) Myspace, purchased in July by the globally-oriented News Corporation, has expanded into the UK, Australia, Ireland, Germany and France and intend to push into 11 other countries soon. This global outreach has resulted in encounters with some un-American sensibilities regarding modes of social interaction. It seems that some people overseas have problems with seemingly random, unwanted messages and garishly designed pages decorated with blinking images and drop-down banners (go figure). Also, the young overseas tend to rely on SMS, or text messages on mobile phones (speaking of phones, I'm really intrigued by the Cingular 8525 smartphone; it has a glow in the dark keyboard!) versus young America's preference for I.M. But MySpace is all about the music, right? That's what MySpace is betting on. Once local bands and other cool people catch on to MySpace abroad, the rest will come through the portal for the music and to carve out an identity for themselves (maybe this is where Scyles comes in), and just possibly find a home amidst the myriad of ads and blinking lights.
This story in the NYT is a bit old, but it struck me as interesting enough to resurrect. (Oddly, it reminded me of passages about Scyles in Herodotus' History--- not sure why.) Myspace, purchased in July by the globally-oriented News Corporation, has expanded into the UK, Australia, Ireland, Germany and France and intend to push into 11 other countries soon. This global outreach has resulted in encounters with some un-American sensibilities regarding modes of social interaction. It seems that some people overseas have problems with seemingly random, unwanted messages and garishly designed pages decorated with blinking images and drop-down banners (go figure). Also, the young overseas tend to rely on SMS, or text messages on mobile phones (speaking of phones, I'm really intrigued by the Cingular 8525 smartphone; it has a glow in the dark keyboard!) versus young America's preference for I.M. But MySpace is all about the music, right? That's what MySpace is betting on. Once local bands and other cool people catch on to MySpace abroad, the rest will come through the portal for the music and to carve out an identity for themselves (maybe this is where Scyles comes in), and just possibly find a home amidst the myriad of ads and blinking lights.
From Matt: The scriptwriters made quite a few changes from the book, but they were all for the best - and booklover though I am I have to admit that its better to see magic than to read about it.
From Mina: I adore this film. Monsieur Hulot’s very modern sister and brother-in-law don’t know what to do with Tati’s charmingly untidy and bungling protagonist, who inhabits a world where meaning is still more important than appearances.
From Carey: A must see Hayao Miyazaki’s anime is Laputa: Castle in the Sky, originally released in 1986. A fantasy film that explores the altruistic and compassionate nature of humans, aspects lost through repeated exposure to power, technology, and the complexities brought by the combination of the two. 
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