Tag Archives: BLOGGING

J. D. Salinger

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“The worst thing that being an artist could do to you would be
that it would make you slightly unhappy constantly.”
J. D. Salinger

J D Salinger

J. D. Salinger, January 1, 1919 to January 27, 2010

In February this year I read the classic novel The Catcher in the Rye, by J. D. Salinger. If you follow my blog you know that when I read a book I always Google the author and learn as much as I can about them.

After reading Salinger’s famous book, I wrote my post on The Catcher in the Rye. I wrote about the similarity between Mr. Salinger and his character in the book, Holden Caulfield.

Salinger was an extremely private person and was not a fan of movies or Hollywood. In fact, during success of the novel, Salinger received (and rejected) numerous offers to adapt The Catcher in the Rye for the screen, including one personally from Samuel Goldwyn. Salinger was so adamant about this, he left specific instructions in his will. He authorized a timetable, to start between 2015 and 2020, for the release of several unpublished works including instructions for movie rights to, The Catcher in the Rye.

I wasn’t surprised at all today to read in Variety that actor Nicholas Hoult will play J.D. Salinger in the upcoming movie Rebel in the Rye. The movie explores the life and mind of the secretive author and will tell the story of the birth of The Catcher in the Rye. The story will touch on Salinger’s rebellious youth, his experiences on the bloody front lines of World War II, enduring great love and terrible loss, a life of rejection to the pages of the New Yorker and his writer’s block — which led to a spiritual awakening.

I don’t know what his will stipulated but from what I’ve read about the man, it sounds to me that Salinger wouldn’t approve of this biopic movie or the fact that his name and life are being depicted in a movie. However, like I said in my original post, I sure hope they do right by him and the captivating life story of J. D. Salinger.

Shine On

The Eye of The Beholder

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“Since we cannot change reality,
let us change the eyes which see reality.”
Nikos Kazantzakis

When you look into someone’s eyes or an animals eyes, what do you see? We are now able to know if the eyes are from a flight or fight species.

A scientific study recently analyzed the eyes of 214 species of land animals. What they discovered is that pupil shapes are directly linked to an animal’s ecological niche.

For instance, animals with pupils that are vertically elongated, like domestic cats and gators, are more likely to be ambush predators – hunters active day and night who use stealth, not strength or speed, to overcome their prey.

Animals with horizontally elongated pupils, such as goats and sheep are herbivore prey animals, the researchers found. Circular pupils, found in humans and birds, provide good all-around vision and are linked to animals that chase down their prey.

Species that are active both night and day with slit pupils provide the range they need to help them see in dim light yet not get blinded by the midday sun.

In fact the sideways orientation which the horse has, is very important for his survival when he is grazing. When he drops his head to graze, its pupils rotate (in opposite directions) by up to 70 degrees to stay horizontal, the researchers found.

While prey animals need to be able to see all around them, predators need binocular vision to see how far away their prey is. Vertical-slit pupils maximize binocular disparity, and blur, in which objects at different distances are out of focus, the scientists found.

But not all predators have vertical pupils.

What is surprising is that the researches noticed from their study that the slit pupils were linked to predators that were close to the ground. Domestic cats have vertical slits, but bigger cats, like tigers and lions, don’t. Their pupils are round, like humans and dogs.

This amazing research teaches us how remarkable the eye and vision can be for us as well as all of nature. Who knows, maybe in the not too distant future we will be able to simulate and see through the eye of the beholder.

Shine On

A Bookworm

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“The best advice I ever got was that
knowledge is power and to keep reading.”
David Bailey

Good Reads Goal

We are a little more than half way through 2015 and already I’ve read 53 books out of the 100 I promised myself I’d read this year. That’s 4 more books than I read for the entire 2014 year.

At the rate I’m reading I’m sure by the end of the year, I will have easily read over 100 books.

Originally I wanted to read just the classic novels, but I find I’m reading a variety of genres and authors.

I’ve surprised myself how much I’m turning into a bookworm.

Shine On