November 1, 2000

In Data Smog: Surviving the Information Glut (1997) David Shenk tells of “technostress” researcher Philip Nicholson’s practice of asking his audiences, “Pretend that you were forced to make a choice between giving up one of your fingers and giving up use of your computer for the rest of your life. Which would you choose?” Nicholson reports that one-third of the people surveyed chose to give up a finger.

I have learned over the years that students, wearily carrying out a writing assignment, often have recourse to the dictionary. Assigned to write on a specific topic, they will begin with a dictionary definition. Let it never be said that I have learned nothing from reading their papers all these years. Look up the word vocation in a dictionary, and you will find that the first two meanings given will be something like the following: “1. a summons or strong inclination to a particular state or course of action: esp: a divine call to the religious life; 2.

Dancer in the Dark (2000), directed by Lars von Trier
Nurse Betty (2000), directed by Neil LaBute

Dancer in the Dark is the most aesthetically brilliant film of the year, and it contains an unnerving naturalistic performance by Icelandic vocalist Bjork. But the film is spoiled by director and screenwriter Lars von Trier's need for a protracted soap-opera catastrophe.