today on the train

Today on the train, a portly, middle-aged Asian woman was wearing a hideous floral print shirt. I didn't so much feel bad for the woman's fashion decision, but the thought of a small sofa somewhere having to go without its upholstery was a little heartbreaking.

POTENTIALLY IN THE REALM OF WAY-TOO-LATE-NOTICE

It appears that DaiCon 7, an international science fiction convention, will be held at Namikili Hall near my home in Kishiwada, Osaka over Saturday and Sunday (Aug. 23~24).

If any of y'all are planning on attending, drop me a line here or in email.

from stross' diary

Charlie's Diary: Bechdel's Law:

Alison Bechdel, cartoonist and author of Dykes to Watch Out For, has an interesting observation on movies — a little test she applies to them. It's a very short checklist, viz:

1. Does it have at least two women in it,

2. Who [at some point] talk to each other,

3. About something besides a man.

I bring this up as a point of interest, because of what it says about the blind spots of popular entertainment. Most Hollywood movies fail this test; if you extend #3 only slightly, to read "About something besides men or marriage or babies", you can strike out about 50% of the small proportion of mass-entertainment movies that do otherwise seem to pass the test.