Show and Tell: Zeitgeist 2010: Year in Review

Google released a movie yesterday showcasing the top searches of 2010. The short film brings attention to the year's major events like the earthquake in Haiti and the first face transplant, wonderfully summarizing a year's worth of events in 3 minutes.

A Book and a Work of Art

Author Jonathan Safran Foer has taken book design to a new level. For his latest work "Tree of Codes," Foer adapted his favorite book by cutting out words and pages to create a new story. Words peek through windows of the cutout pages, making the written work a piece of structural art.




Foer explained what led him to this unique idea in an interview with The New York Times. "I was more interested in subtracting than adding, and also in creating a book with a three-dimensional life. On the brink of the end of paper, I was attracted to the idea of a book that can’t forget it has a body," he said. The author also compared his cutting of the original novel to carving a stone. His favorite book offered endless possibilities for a new story, but he was also dependent on the word choices of another author.

Though "Tree of Codes" adapted another writer's work, it certainly has something new to offer readers everywhere.

Top Words of 2010

The Global Language Monitor announced this week the most used words of 2010. The organization uses a mathematical formula to track the frequency of words, phrases and names used by English speakers.

Without further ado, here are the top 10 words of 2010:

1. Spillcam
2. Vuvuzela
3. The Narrative
4. Refudiate
5. Guido and Guidette
6. Deficit
7. Snowmagedden (and ‘Snowpocalypse’)
8. 3-D
9. Shellacking
10. Simplexity

David Letterman responded to the year's top words with his own list, Top Ten New Words of 2010. Check it out:




To see the top 10 phrases and names of 2010, visit the Global Language Monitor.

Show and Tell: Narrative

This article from DCist was originally found as an example of good food writing. The piece paints a picture and puts the readers in the author's shoes, like a good narrative.

I first tried whipped ricotta during a recent business trip to Boston. It rained from the moment I touched down until three days later as I was preparing to leave. Forty mile per hour winds made it unbearable to go out in the evenings. Fortunately, on my last day, I managed to make it to Sportello, a diner-like Italian restaurant with upscale cuisine. Sitting down at the counter, I was provided with slices of moist crumbed bread and a small dish of a white spread, olive oil, and jam.

Biting into the bread with the ricotta spread was the first bit of sunshine I'd had in days.

Don Draper Says What?

After mourning the end of Mad Men for several weeks, the following mash-up video made my day. Watching the character Donald Draper is enjoyable for a variety of reasons, however one reason in particular is the way he speaks. Though the writers of Mad Men are responsible for the fantastic dialogue, actor John Hamm definitely knows how to deliver it. Even when saying only one word.



And just for fun, another great Mad Men mash-up video.

Show and Tell: Favorite Words

These words are favorites because they sound like what they mean:

Thrill
Vivid
Triumph
Mischievous
Coquettish
Ecstatic
Frenzy
Strut

Strut is defined as "a stiff, erect and apparently arrogant or conceited gait" but who needs a definition when  you can simply watch this:

Film Adaptations

After weeks in the Netflix to Watch basket, The Mysteries of Pittsburgh finally made its way into my DVD player over the weekend. To describe the film as a disappointment is putting it politely. Film adaptations often don't depict books exactly, but a good adaptation should highlight the best elements of a book.

Sadly, this is not the case with The Mysteries of Pittsburgh. The plot varies greatly from the novel and Michael Chabon's beautiful dialog and descriptions are lost.

This brought to mind some favorite films that adapted screenplays well.



Trainspotting



One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest



Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

Emotion seems to be what makes all the difference. An adaptation succeeds when a viewer experiences the same feelings about the characters and story as when they read the book. 
What are some of your favorite or least favorite movies based on books? 

Punctuation Disaster

Fail Blog brightens many a dull day at the office and today's find had to be shared.

War of the Words

As an employee of a research organization, academic writing and jargon are everyday parts of my life. I try to decrease the Lard Factor when I can, but it’s a losing battle. Sometimes I think the organization actually tries to not appeal to people.

Case in point: the titles of the organization’s reports.

This week, I was asked to vote for the title of our next report and the options were wordy to say the least.

At least we’re giving readers an accurate preview of what’s to come.