I recently had a conversation about why genius seems so rare these days, why we don’t seem to produce Einsteins or Mozarts the same way we used to despite a much larger population. I heard someone argue that genius is in fact all around us, that the average engineer or physician is operating at that level, it’s just that various fields of endeavor have grown so complex, so deep and broad, so perfected and subtle, that the genius is hidden inside the complexity.
In other words, when Mozart was writing symphonies, the venues of genius were clear and boundaried, and most of what else was going on was dreadfully, drearily familiar and ordinary. Most people were farming exactly the way their parents had. Now, you can use objects of genius as a matter of moment-to-moment experience, like the one you’re using the read these words or the one I’m using to write them. But you cannot appreciate the various kinds of genius behind the objects, because they exist throughout your life, without boundary or veneration. It is necessary now that genius come with an interface accessible to non-geniuses, else we’d all stand agog at the genius suffusing our existence and then we’d never get anything done.
This is also how I feel about content now. As a creator, it’s truly, non-facetiously humbling to think about the amount of time, effort, blood, sweat, tears, and intellectual talent expended to create the current offerings of the various streaming services—not to mention, you know, books and albums and short-story-focused substacks. It’s awe-inspiring and intimidating. It’s also wonderful. Genius is with us all the time now. in every pocket and hung on every wall, perhaps less remarkable, less singular, but seemingly inexhaustible.
Here’s some of the best stuff I’ve seen around so far in 2023:
The Peripheral is interesting and worth a watch. It’s on Amazon Prime and stars Chloe Grace Moretz, who gets a lifetime pass from me because of her work on 30 Rock, but doesn’t need it because she’s a good actress and pulls this off despite a southern accent that slightly comes and goes. It’s a (MINOR SPOILER) time travel show, sort of, and it tries to square the time travel circle in a fairly interesting and new way. There’s lots of fun sci fi stuff in it, and it looks like they’re getting a second season.
A detailed and unfiltered perspective on the federal criminal justice system that also upended my opinion of Martin Shkreli, the dude most famous for buying the rights to an HIV drug and jacking up the price. This is out of my normal lane, but this is one of the most interesting things I’ve listened to in a really long time.
The Expanse is some great hard-sci fi. I’m currently on the third book (of 9 books, with 8 novellas that take place in between. It’s a commitment!) I’ve been wanting to read this before I watch the show, which I’m also looking forward to, and James A. Corey’s books do not disappoint so far. There’s a *lot* of descriptions of space ships and space battles, more than it’s honestly always easy to follow, but that’s my only gripe because the characters in this space-western-noir-apocalypse story are fun, the plot moves fast and twists often, and the surprises just keep coming. If you liked “The Martian” but wouldn’t mind trying something a little less familiar handled in a similar way, give these a go.
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There are a bunch of awesome movies on Hulu. Office Space. Adaptation. The Prestige. Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead. Glengarry Glen Ross. Yes, none of these are science fiction, but oh well, I got range, baby. They’re still classics and if you’re wondering where to look and you like awesome movies from 20+ years ago, start here. Also Adaptation is a top-10 script of all time, fight me if you disagree.
(This is the peak of cinema.)
Amazing-looking new Netflix movie that they somehow hardly promoted. It’s by the director of “Train to Busan”, which was not much seen in this country but absolutely rocked, and this trailer is electric. I have not watched this yet but will be doing so soon.
Well, that’s what I’ve got for you this week. Hope you heard about something that looks good and you’ll get a chance to check out. As always, if you’re so inclined, please like, comment, or share my post with others. Have a great week, and I’ll be back next Sunday with another original story.
The visual effects in Jung_E look incredible!