Commuting Gems...Word Play

I am a great advocate of anything that encourages people to read. I believe that the 'written' word has an extraordinary ability to create new worlds and bring imaginations to life. And I think life (and my commute) has a little less magic and colour without them.

This week I found two inspired ideas that are putting a new and modern spin on word play.

The first is BiblioTech, a bookless public library system. Conceived by a County Court Judge and book lover who saw 'the writing on the wall' for his papery passions, the library was inspired by the Apple Store experience and will be for visitors to loan e-books and, if needed, an e-reader. The aim is to have at least 10,000 titles available upon opening.

Image source: www.springwise.com

Me 'n' Audrey would be in our element!

The second is WonderbooksTM, a clever combination of wordsmithery and game play which encourages gamers to interact with the world of books, and more specifically, Miranda Goshawk's Book of SpellsTM. Using augmented reality technology, 'readers' can experience thousands of different tales as they zoom through the halls of Hogwarts, words leaping from the page as they create their very own individual journeys.

Image source www.zavvi.com

I may never get off the train!

Speaking of journeys, I'm currently reading a fantastic book about the London Underground, delving into the origins of each of the 268 stations on the network (which incidentally took Andi James and Steve Wilson 16 hours 29 minutes and 13 seconds to visit - yes all of them - in 2011's Tube Challenge).

Quite frankly, I'd rather read the book - did I mention it's fabulous?

Quintessential Quentin...

Over the last couple of weeks, there's been a bit of hype around Quentin Tarantino's latest flick, Django Unchained. His films usually generate lots of talk and debate and after seeing interviews with both Jamie Foxx and Quentin himself on The Graham Norton Show earlier in the month, I had added it to my 'if I get to the movies soon' list - which actually turned out to be yesterday afternoon.

Jamie Foxx stars as Django, a slave in America's Deep South who finds himself in the company of garrulous German dentist/bounty hunter, Dr. King Schultz (played by the fabulous Christoph Waltz). The movie follows the unlikely duo as they criss-cross the country pursuing the Wanted and making a tidy sum before reaching Candyland, home to Leonardo DiCaprio's Calvin Candie (and his outrageously outspoken manservant Stephen, played by Samuel L Jackson) in search of Django's wife, Broomhilda.

Foxx's Django is the movie's intense and brooding centrepiece around which the cast create their stories. DiCaprio layers smooth Southern charm over Candie's snake-like cruelty and the ridiculous capriciousness befitting the insanely rich and powerful white man who cannot imagine not getting exactly what he wants. Jackson's ornery and indignant Stephen is the perfect foil for Candie dangerous charm and even Don Johnson's (remember Miami Vice?) Big Daddy exemplifies the greedy, ignorant and unworldly white men who owned the populations and plantations of the Deep South.

It's an amazing cast with extraordinary performances but for me the star of the show was Waltz. Since seeing his chilling performance in Inglourious Basterds, I've been intrigued by this relative 'unknown' and while this character is a far cry from Colonel Hans Landa, his performance was every bit as mesmerising. Frivolous yet pragmatic, in his portrayal of Dr. Schultz Waltz captured the spirit of Tarantino - his passion for crafting his vision, his ability to tell a story without resorting to the esoteric or high-brow (let's face it, there is never anything high-brow about a Tarantino flick), his ability to give his cast the space to 'play' with their characters and his unadulterated joy in simply making movies. 

The film pays homage to the Spaghetti Western genre of the 1960s and is typically Tarantino - irreverent, unapologetically gory and in-your-face. It's also on the long side (160+ minutes) and there are a few scenes that 'don't work' towards the end but it is full of typical Tarantino moments and remarkable performances.

A great way to spend a chilly, grey Saturday afternoon!

Think You Know Your Geography?

During my recent visit Down Under, Dad thought it was a good time to expand my understanding of my Dutch heritage.

Limited thus far to wooden shoes...

...a love of tulips and a fetish for poffertjes...

I opened the video he sent through with considerable alacrity only to end up more confused than ever!

Let me show you what I mean...

I rest my case.

Pop Culture...

This week I have come across a rather cracking idea and it was delivered right to my desk.

I opened my weekly graze box to find my usual assortment of healthy snacks accompanied by this small flat package...

Intrigued, I tore it open to find a set of easy instructions...

So I popped it in the microwave....

...and voila! Popcorn! Mmmmmm....

It was delicious!

In other news, we've had a bit of snow. Here's snap from the train mid week...

...here are a few from the office window...


and here's tonight's snowy trudge down my street.

Note to self: Melbourne was too hot...38C was too hot...