The Comet and The Tornado by Don Marinelli

     Don Marinelli discusses his account of forming Carnegie Mellon University's Entertainment Technology Center in The Comet and The Tornado. He also calls upon his time spent with the late Randy Pausch. Don (the right-brained tornado) sheds light on the struggles and triumphs of working with Randy (the left-brained comet) in their creation of CMU's dream fulfillment factory.

    The Comet and The Tornado is a short-read that could be accomplished in a couple of hours. Short but meaningful. For me, Don Marinelli's book did three things:

1. Gave examples of the importance of story telling, something I am currently studying. One realization that Don has is that Randy's life resembled that of the monomythic hero, in which transformation is required for the hero to become legendary.
2. Painted a well-rounded picture of Don Marinelli, someone who I hope to meet someday.
3. Reminded me of the most important thing in life, love. It really is that simple. You never know how much time you have left. Life is too short not to love what you're doing and who you're with.

     Don's final four chapters discussing the end of Randy's life and the legacy he left behind had me in tears (in a coffee shop in downtown Pittsburgh no less). Randy's courage in the face of death, his care for his family, and the love Randy showed others exemplified how life should be lived. Thank you Don and thank you Randy for reminding me and millions of others about the important things in life. The Comet and The Tornado has been a worthwhile read; one that I shall not forget.

The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses by Jesse Schell

This is an excellent read for all things game design. The Art of Game Design carries the knowledge of a text book, but reads like an adventure novel. My initial reaction: I am very happy to have read this Ragged Manifesto.

Lost

   

 What is the show Lost about? I have spent 121 hours of my life trying to answer that question and still haven't figured it out. Oh, before I go any further, if you plan on watching the show and haven't yet, stop reading now. There will be spoilers. With that said, as far as I can tell, the plot of Lost contained the struggles of good vs evil, science vs religion, the meaning of life, and how you can get a bunch of people killed by not knowing which man you are trying to win over *cough *cough, KATE! Seriously though, she is easily the most annoying character. But I digress.

    The writers of Lost have a unique ability to take the smallest plot advancement and stretch it the entire length of an hour long episode. Even when the plot advances, the viewer is usually left with more questions than answers. I don't think answers started coming until season five of the six season show. At the end you are given the satisfaction of knowing that everyone is dead, but again that just turns into more questions. How long have they been dead? Did the island even exist or was it some kind of purgatory? Why didn't Ben Linus go with everyone else into the afterlife? Where was Michael? Does the tardiness of Ben and Michael mean they were going to a different afterlife then the rest of the characters (i.e. hell)? How can I feel sadness, confusion, anger, and hunger at the same time (oh yeah, it's because I skipped a meal while marathon watching the last 3 episodes in hopes of finally getting some answers).

     If someone were to ask me, "should I watch Lost?" I would probably give them the same answer I would to someone who wants to try a cigarette, "It's addicting, bad for you, and just ends in death. Don't do it." Alright, I'm being a little dramatic here. Lost is certainly an interesting show worthy of study for years to come. I'm just glad I had the freedom to watch the show at my leisure and not have to wait each week for the next episode to air (thank you Netflix). To live in anticipation and confusion for six years would have been agony, especially since the last episode was no more resolute than the first (depending on how you look at it).

     At first I thought the title of the show described the condition of the characters in it, now I realize instead it is the feeling the viewer has throughout the entire run. JJ Abrams, you did well in getting people hooked, like junkies to heroine. Now I just need to figure out what to do with all this free time and feeling of confusion after going cold turkey. 

The Cardinal of the Kremlin by Tom Clancy

     In Clancy's third installment of the Jack Ryan series, a former Russian military hero takes on his final CIA operation. Colonel Mikhail Filitov, also known as "Cardinal," is the CIA's highest placed operative, with 30 years of spy experience inside the Kremlin. The colonel's final operation involves the construction of BRIGHT STAR, a ground based nuclear missile defense system and Russian equivalent to America's STAR WARS system. The Cardinal leaks detailed information of BRIGHT STAR to the Americans, compromising himself in the meantime. With the defense systems marking a new chapter in the Russian and American arms race, the Cardinal's capture is sure to cause a scandal, on the eve of a Russian election that could be the difference between peace and war in the world's future. Enter Jack Ryan to save the day.
     As part of the committee overseeing the latest arms treaty, Jack once again puts himself in an advantageous position to diagnose and confront the dilemma. Jack comes up with a plan to blackmail the evil head of the KGB into releasing the Cardinal into US custody which causes an exciting metaphorical chess match between the desperate KGB chairman and the CIA. The Cardinal's rescue operation encounters various hiccups, as many rushed operations do, but ultimately ends in success. Jack gets the Cardinal out, blackmails the KGB chairman into defecting, and earns another "W" in his CIA career.
     The Cardinal of the Kremlin has been my most anticipated book of the series so far. The Cardinal character had been alluded to in The Hunt for Red October as the source of extremely valuable information. In my mind, I pictured the Cardinal to be some sort of young Russian super agent, instead of an old colonel. I was picturing a Pierce Brosnan James Bond and instead got Sean Connery. Colonel Filitov was a broken old man who was trying to do what was best for his country, even though it was considered treason. I wouldn't say that I was disappointed with who the Cardinal turned out to be, just not ready for it.
     This will most likely be my last review in this style. It is very academic, as if I am writing a forced one page paper for a book report. My future goals include getting into a highly competitive master's program with a creative focus. With my creative writing experience limited, I will use this blog to practice creative writing techniques whilst still reviewing the things I completed. I will be killing two birds with one stone, just like Jack Ryan did when he rescued the Cardinal of the Kremlin.