Friday, April 1, 2011
Commutes and critiques
William Saletan wrote extensively about studies linking childlessness to higher levels of day to day happiness. His conclusion, that these studies are accurate but they discount the impact of transcendent moments on our happiness, is true of more than just children.
I'm not a big fan of living in NY, for a lot of reasons, laid out here and elsewhere. But, today I was listening to the Styrofoam remix of Drugs Or Me as I walked through the subway station, and for a few seconds, life felt like a music video. People were walking around as if in slow motion, steam was coming through the vents, and there was an absolute sense of beauty and timelessness that I've rarely experienced.
Cities, the wilderness, and music have all provided my life with transcendence, and made, this truly "the happiest life I ever could have lived".
Unrelated: Last night I watched Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World. It was great fun, but I had to take off my Gen Y hater's hat to truly enjoy it. SPvTW was the first movie I've watched in several years that was clearly intended for a younger demographic than 30-35 year old males. There were lots of nods to video game nostalgia, but the jokes, themes and general pacing were clearly aimed at a young'uns.
Stray observations:
- There has to be a logical end to how quickly and frequently movies can change camera angles, but we haven't reached it just yet. Watch a big studio movie from the 1970s and then watch this. Sheesh.
- There are some incredibly talented people in the world, and our efficiency in channeling those people into high visibility products pays dividends to everyone.
- (Pure speculation alert) I was left with a sense of how hopeful and fun the movie was. I think this is actually a general trend in arts. Maybe the upcoming generation has had enough of their parents Gen X nihilism. I support this movement.
Labels: Little things become big things
¶ 6:30 AM
