WED 10/20: Talk & Film

I was going to keep it short today, and now it's even shorter.

Unfortunately, the Girlfriends' gig at O'Brien's has been cancelled due to car trouble with the two other bands who are touring from Kansas. Check Girlfriends out though, because they're pretty damn awesome.

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WED 10/20

6pm
Sheila Bair, "Ending Too Big To Fail: The FDIC & Financial Reform": Lecture
at JFK Forum, Littauer Bldg, 79 JFK St, Cambridge (Harvard Kennedy School)
FREE

When I would hear the terms like "too big to fail" about companies like Bank of America, it used to give comfort that they wouldn't fail.

In reality, it doesn't mean that they were run in a responsible manner -- it just means that the government will help them no matter what risky decisions they make.

Sheila Bair, Chairwoman of the FDIC may have some constructive points (which will likely be slow in being implemented).

WED 10/20

6pm
Ethan Gilsdorf, "Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks": Reading/Presentation
at Boston Room, 1st Fl, Boston Public Library, 700 Boylston St, Boston (Copley Sq)
FREE

I went to one of Ethan Gilsdorf's reading last year near the original release date of his book, "Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks: An Epic Quest for Reality Among Role Players, Online Gamers, and Other Dwellers of Imaginary Realms". And now it's available on paperback.

Since there are too many books in my queue, I haven't read it yet. However attending his reading did make me want to read it.

Yes, there's a lot of geekiness along the journey from discovering Dungeons & Dragons as a kid to investigating the wide world of current gaming (online, LARP, etc). There is a lot of real emotion and articulate examination of why people like to play.

Tonight's reading is supposed to include a slideshow, and I wouldn't be surprised if some other fun may be up his sleeve.

WED 10/20

7pm
"Battleship Potemkin"
at Harvard Film Archive, Carpenter Center, 24 Quincy St, Cambridge (Harvard campus)
FREE

Yes, it's a Russian silent film made over 80 years ago. It's also happens to be Sergei Eisenstein's masterpiece and still one of the most influential films of all time for its groundbreaking editing techniques.

The story (a Soviet propaganda film to demonstrate how oppressive the Czars were) may not be the most compelling part of the viewing experience. On the bright side, the only subtitle reading is during the title cards when even Russians are reading.