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Mourning the Death of Handwriting, in Time.

I keep telling people that writing in cursive is therapeutic. When you write on a computer it’s faster, more efficient, direct to the point. When you write something longhand, you allow your mind to wander and then try to bring it back to the topic. It’s like going off on a riff then returning to the basic melody. Also, writing longhand and then typing it onto a screen forces you to edit and tighten up your work, and I don’t mean just the typos. You won’t believe the sloppy drivel that editors have to make sense of. It’s a good thing there are gun laws. A writer from the 60s once said of mediocrities, “Balian na ng kamay, baka magsulat pa yan.” (Better break their hands, they might write something.) Now they all have keyboards hahaha. They can write with their elbows.

In The Lord of the Rings the whole world is in peril: if Sauron wins, all the races of Middle Earth and particularly men will be enslaved. In Harry Potter if Voldemort wins, there will be a change of management at Hogwarts school. (At least that is what I have gleaned from the movies, which are said to be inferior to the books.) It will probably be bad for regular people too, but in the movies a kind of apartheid exists between the wizards and ordinary humans (“muggles”). Occasionally we witness the casual destruction by dark forces of some famous London landmark, but few in the wizard dimension seem too perturbed. Since we are left in the dark about what’s at stake (Do we lose all our noses?) the war between good and evil has all the urgency of a battle for control of the high school drama guild…

Technology is magic, in Emotional Weather Report in the Star.

Impressed and alarmed by advances in artificial intelligence, a group of computer scientists is debating whether there should be limits on research that might lead to loss of human control over computer-based systems that carry a growing share of society’s workload, from waging war to chatting with customers on the phone.

Their concern is that further advances could create profound social disruptions and even have dangerous consequences.

Scientists Worry Machines May Outsmart Man, in the NYT.

That’s news? Aren’t you already surrounded by insentient troglodytes?

This is Jay-Lo’s small make-up trunk. It looks like a library card catalogue. I should get one for my notebooks and pens. Jay-Lo is doing Eugene Domingo’s make-up and hair for her starring roles in Kimmy Dora.

The fabulous Eugene plays Kimmy and Dora Go Dong Hae. One is evil, one is good if not completely right in the head. Kimmy Dora is directed by Bb. Joyce Bernal from a screenplay by Chris Martinez (who’s directing the remake of Temptation Island next. The role of Joshua has not yet been cast) and produced by Piolo Pascual among others. The film also stars Ariel Ureta as the twins’ father and Dingdong Dantes as the love interest. I gather Piolo was also supposed to be in the movie but that fell through.

In the make-up room Miriam Quiambao, who plays Kimmy’s assistant, has set up a sari-sari store. She sells environmentally-friendly organic products—laundry soap, detergents, bug spray, shampoo, conditioner, soap, moisturizer, exfoliants, etc—produced by non-profit organizations. The proceeds of the sales from the Kimmydora shoot will go to charity.

There was lechon for the cast and crew. A PA brought a plate of lechon to the make-up room. Everyone looked at the delicious cholesterol then looked away regretfully, remembering their arteries and hips. The poor lechon just sat there, rejected

Until Dingdong Dantes arrived and ate it. Clearly he can burn off the evil calories.

They were shooting the IPO scene on the 22nd floor of Makati City Hall. Binibining Joyce runs the most laid-back, stress-free shoot we’ve ever seen.

Kimmy Dora opens in September. Watch the teaser.

Last week Ramon had his birthday dinner at Casino Español. Casino Español is a 1960s time warp.

Where are the roulette, the baccarat, the slot machines? I don’t know. There’s a nice little bar, though. I remember watching the 2006 Wimbledon semis there.

I call the architecture Saint Theresa’s because it reminds me of my old school. In fact the former St. Theresa’s campus is nearby, on San Marcelino (I went to STC-QC).

The food’s good and there’s no crowd unless the futbol is on. Casino Español is in the same compound as Instituto Cervantes on T.M. Kalaw near Taft Avenue.

David Simon’s The Wire, an HBO series.

Five seasons of The Wire on DVD have been sitting on my shelf for many months. I put off watching the show because I knew exactly what would happen. See, there’s method acting and there’s method viewing. The former could be a career, but the latter eats up entire weeks of your life. (The exception: A friend of mine watched a whole season of the TV series 24 in 24 hours. He insisted that this was the only way to watch real-time series.)

You put on a disc with the intention of watching an episode or two, then resuming your regular workday routine. That’s not what happens. If the series is as good as its reputation, you will hear yourself saying, “Just one more episode, it’s only 55 minutes long.” Then you start reshuffling your schedule in your head: “That piece isn’t due till Thursday, I can do it tomorrow.” Soon you are reassessing your personal relationships: “Ah, they’ll forgive me for not showing up, I’ll make amends another time.” Suddenly the sun is rising, you’ve done none of your chores or assignments, and your eyes feel gummy. The day hasn’t even started and you’re already behind schedule.

Get in the van (20 hours of The Wire and counting) in Emotional Weather Report, today in the Star.