fit to be news
It seems all the news has gone bad again. I know, I know, you're thinking there was a war and the news was pretty freaking bad then but there were lots of little science-y brightspots and giant sea creatures uncovered and great feature stories. But, a quick peruse of google news convinces me that we've now reentered the great negative vortex, where the news turns swirlingly, progressively worse. The kind of stories that go on forever and don't get any better. Yes, I'm talking about politics.
Meanwhile, the other big story is about the guy who'd been blind since he was three and had his sight restored. This one is truly fascinating (and everywhere, so I won't bother with a link) -- more because of how ambivalent he seems about it than anything else. Of course, we all suspected that Val Kilmer movie where he squints and flails his hands around like a slapstick blind clown was bad science. But there wasn't really any way to know for sure, because there'd never been a lifelong blind person who suddently became sighted and was available for study. The brain has to figure out what it's seeing. This goes much quicker and easier when you're extremely young than it does when you're, um, not. This guy, he had trouble skiiing a month after the surgery because of his eyesight. It got in the way. And the way he talks about sight is dismissive a little and absolutely fascinating. It's so much more honest that the "miracle" talk that surrounds most of these kind of stories. Of course, he lives in Davis, as many enlightened folks do. Especially interesting though for writers and readers, terrified of blindness as we all (rightly?) are.
Anyway, I'm just killing time now. I have a bit of extra morning this morning, before I do other things and so I will use it to pay bills and start the new script. Read through my workshop's comments on the synopsis again last night and they are just a brilliant, brilliant crew and their thoughts do that warp speed thing -- you know the one. Where you might have gotten to the same place eventually, but hearing/seeing just the right thing about the story warp speeds you to the same place.
Go enjoy the colors. I still think it's a gift to be able to see them.
Meanwhile, the other big story is about the guy who'd been blind since he was three and had his sight restored. This one is truly fascinating (and everywhere, so I won't bother with a link) -- more because of how ambivalent he seems about it than anything else. Of course, we all suspected that Val Kilmer movie where he squints and flails his hands around like a slapstick blind clown was bad science. But there wasn't really any way to know for sure, because there'd never been a lifelong blind person who suddently became sighted and was available for study. The brain has to figure out what it's seeing. This goes much quicker and easier when you're extremely young than it does when you're, um, not. This guy, he had trouble skiiing a month after the surgery because of his eyesight. It got in the way. And the way he talks about sight is dismissive a little and absolutely fascinating. It's so much more honest that the "miracle" talk that surrounds most of these kind of stories. Of course, he lives in Davis, as many enlightened folks do. Especially interesting though for writers and readers, terrified of blindness as we all (rightly?) are.
Anyway, I'm just killing time now. I have a bit of extra morning this morning, before I do other things and so I will use it to pay bills and start the new script. Read through my workshop's comments on the synopsis again last night and they are just a brilliant, brilliant crew and their thoughts do that warp speed thing -- you know the one. Where you might have gotten to the same place eventually, but hearing/seeing just the right thing about the story warp speeds you to the same place.
Go enjoy the colors. I still think it's a gift to be able to see them.
posted by Gwenda @ 8/26/2003 07:33:00 AM
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