July 30, 2010
Brrraaains!
I've been reading the first few volumes of The Walking Dead comics in preparation for the AMC series of the same name that begins in October. In short, the story focuses on a small group of survivors coping with a global zombie apocalypse that has no apparent cause. The comics, which are drawn completely in black and white, have a kind of narrative spareness that makes the reading experience all the more compelling. Some of the dialogue in the early volumes is a little stilted and obvious, but I expect that will improve as I get into the later chapters.
Now if I could just figure out how to get myself cast as a zombie extra in the AMC series. I already have the skinny look going on.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 01:04 PM | Comments (0)
July 29, 2010
Not Dead Yet
A man diagnosed with amytrophic later sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease) wants to donate his organs even though he's not facing imminent death. He claims that he's "dead anyway" as a justification for granting his request. It seems unlikely that he'll get his wish; no hospital or physician will volunteer to harvest the organs of someone who is still very much alive. And I hope someone tries to help him understand that he could still have several years of meaningful life ahead of him. I'm also a registered organ donor; as with ALS, SMA doesn't affect the integrity of vital organs. But my organs are off-limits until I'm good and done with them.
I'm also guessing that this set of facts will be written into a future episode of House.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 05:04 PM | Comments (0)
July 28, 2010
It's Not So Bad
Michael Phillips wrote a great blog post in which he lays out an argument for going on a ventilator instead of giving up the ghost:
If you have to be on a vent, let it happen. Go with it. Once you’re breathing right, and you’re not nervous ALL THE TIME, you’ll be amazed how much clearer your head will feel. Once you’re breathing right, you can rest and get your strength back. You’ll start to feel like you again. You can take your pain meds, get lots of sleep, you’ll get proper nourishment, and before you know it you’re back to your old self again. All that bad stuff I was scared of, none of it actually happened, and it won’t happen to you either.
It's been so long since I was put on a vent that I can barely remember life without it. But I do remember the many times I was laid up with a respiratory infection and the sheer effort it took to keep breathing. I haven't experienced that feeling in decades and I certainly don't miss it. And with vents becoming ever more portable, physicians and other medical professionals might want to rethink their own biases when advising someone who might need such a device.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 08:17 PM | Comments (0)
July 27, 2010
Four-Color Seduction
Comixology, which made a name for itself offering digital comics on the iPhone, is now operating a web-based comics store offering titles from major publishers like DC, Dark Horse, and Image. A healthy selection of free titles are available (such as the first issue of the intriguing and off-kilter Chew) and prices for the paid content are pretty reasonable: $1.99 for most single issues and $9.99 for collected volumes. They've even got digital issues of Sandman that they're releasing at the rate of one per week. The reading interface itself is intuitive and the content looks quite sharp on my widescreen monitor. The only drawback is that Marvel titles aren't available yet, but hopefully that will change soon.
I dropped over $100 on physical comics over the weekend. As much as I love my local comics shop, I wonder if that will be the last time I spend that much in-store. The convenience and accessibility of the digital version is starting to look irresistible, which is something my friend and owner of Big Brain Comics probably doesn't want to hear.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 05:29 PM | Comments (1)
July 26, 2010
Not Nearly Enough
Blogger Ben Matlin provides a commentary on today's Morning Edition regarding the twentieth anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Ben is a Harvard graduate who also happens to have spinal muscular atrophy (note to self: e-mail Ben regarding a position in my Revolutionary Cabinet) and he writes about the pervasive discrimination he experienced growing up in a pre-ADA landscape. He also remarks on how the ADA has affected younger generations of people with disabilities:
Many young disabled people are growing up with a marvelous sense of belonging, entitlement and pride I never had.
That may be true to a point. People with disabilities who are my age and younger take it for granted that we will be able to go to school, navigate a store, or go to a movie. But the ability to participate in life's mundanities shouldn't gloss over the fact that most of us are still quite likely to live in poverty and social isolation. People with disabilities who manage to achieve even a modicum of economic independence are still the rare exception rather than the general rule. None of this is to say that the ADA is a failure; the recognition of a marginalized group's right to participate in society is always worthwhile. But individual bias and fear of the other remains impervious to even the most forceful legal dictates. And two decades after the ADA's enactment, I'm impatient for the world to catch up with my frequently calibrated expectations.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 03:03 PM | Comments (1)
July 23, 2010
XXXVII
And here I am again, embarking on another journey around the sun. My 36th year was generally a good one; I learned to care a little less about what others think of me and I settled into a career that seems to suit my temperament and talents pretty well. I took a few risks that kept life interesting. I tried to be a good friend and benefitted from the continued generosity of my friends.
One of my colleagues wistfully remarked to me that 37 is a good age to be. I'll try to spend the next year proving her right.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 05:42 PM | Comments (3)
July 22, 2010
Churn
Dear Antibiotics,
Look, I really appreciate all that you did in clearing up my pneumonia. You worked your magic, just like always. But I think it's time for you to leave my system. Because I'd really like to eat something without my innards feeling like they're incubating the chestburster from the Alien movies. I really don't want to sound like an ungrateful jerk, but I get crabby when my tummy is upset. So how about packing up your stuff and I'll call you a taxi. Maybe we can do this again someday. What? Sure, I'll friend you on Facebook. As soon as you leave.
Sincerely,
Mark
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 09:47 PM | Comments (1)
July 21, 2010
I Still Love You, Paper
Amazon announced yesterday that sales of e-books are outnumbering sales of hardcover books. In related news, I received a Kindle DX as an early birthday present from my much-too-generous parents. In the limited time I've had to use it since it arrived yesterday, I quickly grasped why it's such a popular device. The e-ink screen is easy on the eyes and it bears a remarkable resemblance to paper. The large screen accommodates as much text as two printed pages and I don't have to ask someone to clip the pages down or bend the binding. If I could find a way to activate the "next page" key independently, it would be nearly perfect. Still, it should last me the next few years until the color version is released. And I'll likely be purchasing fewer hardcover books, which will probably be welcome news to my sagging shelves.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 08:31 PM | Comments (0)
July 20, 2010
So Much For Integration
It's no secret that the Great Recession has forced states to make devastating cuts to health care and social services. As the Times points out, people with disabilities and the elderly are particularly vulnerable to cuts in home care and other community-based services. The people who depend on these services are now facing greater risk of hospitalization or institutionalization, which will be paid out of state coffers, thus undermining the state's original intent to cut costs. And because of Medicaid institutional bias, states have a great deal of flexibility to cut "optional" services like home care while preserving nursing home funding.
Unfortunately, this trend of service cuts isn't likely to improve any time soon. The recession's lingering aftereffects are going to be a drag on state budgets for years to come. Additional federal funding for home and community-based services would certainly be welcome, but Washington's current preoccupation with the deficit makes that scenario unlikely in the extreme. People with disabilities and their advocates will have to wage some savage political fights just to ensure a 2% cut instead of a 5% or 10% cut. That's likely to be the case here in Minnesota, which is confronting a $5-$6 billion deficit over the next two years. The only thing that gives me any comfort is the knowledge that I would be worse off in almost any other state.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 07:21 PM | Comments (0)
July 19, 2010
Critic At Large: Inception
Christopher Nolan's explorations of the human mind and the power of memory continue in Inception, a caper movie that fuses elements of noir, action, and Jungian psychology. In a world that may be parallel to our own, technology exists to enable people to infiltrate another's dreams and steal secrets from that person's mind. Leonardo DiCaprio is Don Cobb, a professional "extractor" who hires himself out to corporations wishing to steal trade secrets hidden in the dreams of their rivals. Cobb is blackmailed by one corporation into a job that involves planting an idea rather than stealing one--inception.
Like a lot of movies before it (Blade Runner, The Matrix, Brazil), Inception plays with our tendency to confuse dream with reality. And the arresting imagery of the film's dreamscapes invites the audience to do the same. But what makes this film interesting is how it constructs a dreamworld with its own internal logic and rules. The characters themselves can sound a little silly when explaining dreamworld mechanics, but those mechanics also make for a taut and engaging story. Nolan trusts the audience to keep up with him and, judging from Inception's great box office numbers, that trust is well-placed. If only more movies respected their audiences as much.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 07:05 PM | Comments (0)
July 16, 2010
Pepper Potts Not Included
New Zealand engineers have developed a robotic exoskeleton that enables paraplegics to walk--albeit very slowly. Priced at over $150,000 each, these devices aren't going to be commonplace anytime soon. I'm waiting for the model that comes with repulsor beams and a holographic heads-up display.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 08:42 PM | Comments (1)
July 15, 2010
Road To Perdition
The good people of the Westboro Baptist Church would like you to know that God's divine hatred isn't reserved just for the gays. God also hates nerds and their heathen comic book idols. No word on whether geeks are also on Yahweh's hit list. I'm also tempted to ask whether cosplayers and furries have anything to worry about, but that would involve explaining those terms to church members, which would just upset them.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 08:44 PM | Comments (0)
July 14, 2010
Impeccable Credentials
According to this site, my writing style most closely resembles that of Margaret Atwood. I'm going to mention that fact in all my future cover letters to literary agents. Maybe then they won't be so quick to scoff at my sf/fantasy/historical/mystery/literary thriller (complete with maps and a few hundred footnotes). If some random website comparing me to such a respected author won't convince them of my potential, then nothing will.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 06:20 PM | Comments (2)
July 13, 2010
Defensive Medicine
I received pretty good care while I was in the hospital, but I still was surprised at some of the grossly inefficient policies I encountered. For example, all the medical staff agreed that I should have my tracheotomy tube changed to remove a possible infection vector. The trouble was that nurses weren't allowed to perform trach changes. The same prohibition applied to respiratory therapists. Physicians couldn't change trach tubes unless it was an emergency. They wouldn't allow any of my nurses to change it because they weren't hospital employees. The only person allowed to change it was some nurse practitioner in the pediatric ICU who never materialized. Since I knew I would be discharged soon, I waited until I was home to do the procedure. It took five minutes.
I understand that hospitals have legitimate concerns about liability, but policies like the one I described result in needless delay that could impede a patient's recovery. Furthermore, nurses already perform any number of interventions that could potentially be risky for the patient (establishing an IV, administering meds, lifting a patient). It seems odd to treat this procedure differently.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 05:31 PM | Comments (0)
July 12, 2010
Mark 527, Microbes 0
I'm guessing you had a better weekend than me. I came home from work Friday evening with a massive headache and a few hours later I was in the local emergency room with a scorching fever and a tweaked-out heart rate. Things were so bad that I seriously contemplated the possibility that I might spontaneously combust. I was admitted to the hospital and soon discovered I had pneumonia. After they pumped me full of antibiotics, I was sent home the next day (with even more antibiotics). I'm still not functioning at peak efficiency, but I'm happy to have avoided the discomfort and tedium of an extended hospital stay. In the meantime, the doctor has ordered plenty of fluids and sensual massages from women in fishnets. I intend to comply.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 06:31 PM | Comments (4)
July 08, 2010
Liberation
My wheelchair was diagnosed with a faulty control module (the computer that controls the drive functions), but now seems to be working normally after a loaner module was installed. I'm going to give it a road test and see if I've developed an allergy to sunlight. More soon.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 06:56 PM | Comments (1)
July 07, 2010
Safe For Domestic Consumption
It was only a matter of time before the Swedish vampire movie Let the Right One In became fodder for an American remake. The trailer for Let Me In seems to be pretty faithful to the source material, although I doubt it will contain the sexual subtexts of the original. And if you don't know to what I'm referring, do yourself a favor and see the original. It's a superb movie, but certain elements probably wouldn't play well in Peoria. The trailer for the American version is effective in that it piques my interest in seeing the film, but I remain skeptical that it will measure up to the original.
While I don't have a problem with American remakes of foreign films, it's unfortunate that American audiences remain generally oblivious to international titles (even after the remake is released). Nearly everyone on the planet has at least heard of Avatar, but only a tiny sliver of American moviegoers have heard of Let the Right One In or City of God or Oldboy or any number of great movies made in other countries. I keep hoping that our freeflowing digital culture might change that, but maybe our strong aversion to subtitles is just too much to overcome.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 05:55 PM | Comments (1)
July 06, 2010
Stranded
I've written before about how technology malfunctions can severely disrupt the life of someone with a disability. I was reminded of that again over the weekend when I discovered that my wheelchair's drive system had completely failed. I can get around my home without much difficulty, but it's too heavy to push any distance. And the combination of the holiday weekend and a not-so-helpful service provider means that it won't get fixed until later this week. I may go into shock the next time sunlight hits my skin as I haven't been able to leave my place in a few days.
This is just another annoyance to endure, but I need to have a sit-down with my equipment and remind them who's in charge. Or at least beg them to let me pretend I'm in charge.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 09:55 PM | Comments (0)
July 05, 2010
Information Processing
According to one study, people report that they read a traditional hard-copy book faster than they read an e-book. That's certainly not my experience; I tend to prefer e-books when I'm on a tight book club deadline. But I'm also accustomed to reading for lengthy periods of time on a computer screen. The only thing that slows me down are e-mail notifications and random impulses to Google some obscure topic. I really should turn off my internet connection when I'm reading, but I can't quite bring myself to do that.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 09:39 PM | Comments (0)
July 02, 2010
See You On The Flip Side
This will be my first weekend off from blogging, so I want to wish a happy Fourth of July to my readers of the American persuasion. I hope you're all stocked up on barbecue sauce and illegal fireworks. I'll be back on Monday with a post on...something. But for now, I think I'm going to get a start on the second volume of The Walking Dead.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 09:08 PM | Comments (0)
July 01, 2010
Evolution Is A Beautiful Thing
What is it that makes us human? Our powers of reason? Our recognition of our own mortality? Our ability to invent things like the computer and the Pringles potato chip? Or is it something more prosaic, such as our ability to masturbate frequently? According to the article, no other species possesses the ability to conjure up mental dirty movies as a tool to facilitate self-pleasure.The author then goes on to say that the ubiquitous nature of Internet porn may have long-term consequences for the vibrancy of our erotic imaginations. Nonsense. Like any American guy in his mid-thirties, I've seen my fair share of porn. But I'm still quite capable of closing my eyes and dreaming up a wholly original scenario involving me and a very lonely librarian. And if she happens to slightly resemble Shyla Stylez, that's just my inner director making a casting decision.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 08:59 PM | Comments (0)