More Linky Links

More stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- That offer would be worth over $200k in today's dollars. As an aside I thought those coffee stains were on my PC.

- I want this wheel barrow.

- VDH on Harvard - out of the frying pan and into the fire.

- Casino Royale starring Daniel Craig just turn 18-years old - a thread.

How Daniel Craig Got His James Bond Bod

Interesting look at how Daniel Craig made a commitment to have the best "James Bond" body of all-time (sorry Sean Connery). 

It came down to commitment, a good trainer and proper diet. Those are three things everyone could access - maybe not to the same degree but then again most people are just trying to live a healthier life not look spectacular on film.

Still haven't seen the latest Bond movie (and not sure if I'll end up seeing it in the theaters). 

James Bond Theory

The Daniel Craig James Bond movies were always about Vesper Lynd. I would agree with this theory. 

It needs to be remembered that Ian Fleming's "cold hearted bastard" Bond only truly emerged after the death of his wife in On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

Was going to see the new Bond film this weekend but we opted for dinner and shooting pool with another couple instead. 

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

The more the MSM pushes stories they know to be nothing burgers just to push an agenda - the more people ask themselves why they waste their time and money on these outlets. This attitude is clearly reflected in the declining ratings and circulation numbers. They are putting themselves out of business... Heh Heh... If an apple was magnified to the size of the Earth - then the atoms of the apple would then equal the original size of the apple... You learn something new every day - Ben Whishaw the actor who killed Daniel Craig in the movie Layer Cake also plays Q - the character who helps protect Craig in the James Bond movies... There should be a martial art called Kneedle-Fu where people are trained to attack and kill people with just knitting needles. You know older women would sign up for that training... Learning to learn better... "When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad. That's my religion." - Abraham Lincoln...

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Victor Davis Hanson says that 2018 was a pretty good year. And I agree.

- 34-years ago a KGB defector predicted modern America.

- Heh Heh

- Nicholas Kristof ups the ante on VDH and says that 2018 was not only a good year but the best in human history.

- Mind-melting study says our universe is an expanding bubble in another dimension. Not "mind-melting" just hard to wrap your brain around.

- Why Netflix hired Spencer Neumann as its new CFO. The coming battle between Disney and Netflix will be interesting to watch.

- Heh Heh

Idris Elba as James Bond

There's a report circulating that Idris Elba is the favorite to replace Daniel Craig as Jame Bond.

I'm of two minds on this. I love Elba as an actor. His role as DCI John Luther makes him one of the top cops in TV history while his role as Stringer Bell simultaneously places him as one of the top criminals in TV history. That's quite an acting daily-double.

The reason I'm not sure on this is not because he's black. That doesn't make a difference. The reason I'm not sure is his age.

Daniel Craig is 50-years old and he last played Bond in 2015 when he was 47. Craig looked old and tired in Spectre. Craig's first Bond film came out when he was 38 but was shot when he was 36-years old.

Elba is about to turn 46-years old on September 6th which is why I think this rumor of him as Bond is just a ruse. Timothy Dalton was 41 when he took over as Bond in The Living Daylights. And Dalton looked too old - at 41! Elba probably would be 48 by the time a film was actually made.

If I were a betting man - I'd bet against Idris Elba being named the next James Bond. He's just too old. 

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- The Tao of Mookie

- Heh heh (and reminder my Twitter handle is @ALargeRegular)

- New England Patriots take on rest of AFC East and Roger Goodell

- Interesting read on the relationship between Jimmy Johnson and Bill Belichick

- A message from the children of Johnny Cash

- In case you missed it - the Red Sox ceremonial first pitch to the nuts

- Daniel Craig on board to play Bond one more time

Grendel by John Gardner

The book Grendel by John Gardner was a very interesting read. The book is a retelling of the epic poem Beowulf but from the first person viewpoint of the "monster" Grendel. How the monster sees the world and the spread of man is interesting and a stroke of genius on the part of Gardner. Grendel viewing Beowulf not as a hero but as a crazy berserker who just ripped off his arm is funny in the retelling.

I couldn't help but think of the book as a cross between Herman Hesse's Steppenwolf and Where the Wild Things Are.

How I came to read the book in the first place is amusing. I am a fan of the movie Layer Cake starring Daniel Craig and I read that the movie is based upon the book of the same name by JJ Connolly. One of the people commenting on the books says that first person books are a gimmick that can only be pulled off by a rare writer like John Gardner. So I bought Grendel and while I was halfway through it I began to think that a good number of the fiction books I read are first person and I consider myself a discerning reader. Herman Hesse, Chuck Palahniuk, W. Somerset Maugham, etc. all use first person viewpoints. The commentor was wrong about first person novels but he was not wrong about Grendel and John Gardner - it was a rare writer and a rare book.

Layer Cake

Last night I watched the movie Layer Cake starring Daniel Craig in his pre-James Bond days. What a great movie. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Plenty of action and humor. It also made you think and surprised you with outcomes you never saw coming. I know I'm late to the game on this one but I highly recommend the movie to anyone who hasn't already seen it.

It was also very interesting seeing Michael Gambon playing a bad guy. Seeing the guy who is now known for playing Professor Dumbedore swearing and generally being an evil genius was just amusing to me.