Read carefully Kaj: this piece is not a critique of The Dark Knight , it's an attempt to find out why I didn't respond to it like most people did. And just reading Watchmen might have been a factor. I know it's unfair to compare to media, but that doesn't mean that there couldn't be an influence in my perception because of it. As for the darkness: I actually had a big problem with Batman being held responsible for everything. People died because of him? No, people died because the Joker is crazy. Without Batman - or, alternately, if Batman had acted differently - he would just have killed for another reason. To bring up the (not unwarranted) real-life parallel: just because terrorists kill people and say it's because of some Danish cartoonist doesn't make it so. I'd like to go on more in depth, and I will later, but I'll miss my train if I don't stop now.

Thanks for this run-down of TDK. It's refreshing to read a review that's not falling over its feet in its rush to praise the movie. We probably won't get to see this till it comes out on DVD, but are looking forward to it immensely, and your tempered reaction is just what we need so as not to work ourselves up only to be disappointed. I don't think that Hedwig is saying that ALL comic books/comic-based movies can't be taken seriously as adult fare. She seems to suggest that TDK in particular is trying a little too hard, but maybe a different approach would have yielded a more satisfactory result in that department. Her comment on TDK is not to say, however, that other comic-based movies cannot be successful as serious adult movies if handled more astutely. While I haven't read Watchmen, perhaps despite its publication as a comic (by DC Comics) it leans more in the direction of a graphic novel? In which case it can easily be interpreted in a much different vein than Mickey Mouse or XKCD... On that note, here's hoping that we'll get to see a feature-length movie of stick figures in the near future ;-)

German Prince Marcus Eberhard Edward of Anhalt, Duke of Saxony and Westphalia, cracshed his carroty Gemballa Porsche Carrera GT at the renowned Paul Ricard racing circuit in France! The car, valued at unevenly €725,000 ($1.1 million), appears to have finished into the armco at moderate rapidity while driving the uber-Porsche at the Paul Ricard trip in [...]

The next-generation Porsche Cayenne will collect a slightly more sculpted body while maintaining the same inclusive silhouette of the first generation. When this instant gen prototype first hit the streets it was speculated that it was the new “baby” Cayenne fictitiously dubbed, Roxster. However, closer inspection puts this prototype at the same dimension as the [...]

[Deutscher Titel: [Umfrage] Aufruf zur Beteiligung: Wissensmessung und -berichterstattung (Text übersetzen: Deutsch)] Knowledge Measurement research Dear Sir/ Madam I am a MSc student from Cranfield University, working on a project about Knowledge Measurement. It will take 5 minutes of your time to discover more about knowledge measurement and reporting. You don’t need to be expert in the area, [...]

[Deutscher Titel: Inside Knowledge Magazine, 11 (10), 2008 (Text übersetzen: Deutsch)] Inside Knowledge Magazine, Volume 11 Issue 10 2008 Editor’s letter Leaders in knowledge-based enterprises Jerry Ash, Editor FEATURES eProcurement: Delivering visibility, control and innovation Basware’s general manager, Europe and the Americas, looks at the growing trend towards eProcurement, and how public sector bodies have led the way in moving online to [...]

[Deutscher Titel: KM Legal, 2 (5), 2008 (Text übersetzen: Deutsch)] KM Legal, Volume 2 Issue 5 2008 Editor’s letter Kate Clifton FEATURES Training and development As the professional support lawyer (PSL) role has matured and the number of PSLs has increased, more firms are considering or having to consider whether they need to put in place a PSL career development framework. Case [...]

@ Hedwig: Ok, but several sentences about what TDK wants to be, but isn't, according to you, do sound like criticism of the movie to me, wether or not the piece as a whole is. And about Batman being held responsible and the Danish cartoons: the most important is that Batman himself starts to feel responsible. And although the Danish cartoonist is not responsible for the violence that ensued, if he were to draw some more similar cartoons, I'll bet you there will be a lot of Danish people who won't want him to publish them for the 'trouble' he might cause. There was a lot of that reasoning going around prior to the release of Fitna, and a lot of that was, sadly, not because people thought he was an idiot, but that it was irresponsible for him to do so because of the possible violent reaction. So while it may not be Batman's fault, it's certainly not unrealistic that the general public would feel that he was partly responsible. Also, the Joker's excesses are a reaction to Batman's, and organised crime gives him carte blanche to do his Toto Riina (Sicilian mob boss who murdered a DA in 1992) thing exactly because of Batman's actions. In another social climate, The Joker would've been much more like M (Peter Lorre, not Bond's boss). @ Lanchka: Hedwig never literally says it, but the sentence "an “adult” movie despite its comic-book origins" suggests to me a misunderstanding of what those origins are. Also, the distinction between comic and graphic novel to me has always been one of snobs that just wanted to get away from the appparent negative connotations the word comic brings with it.

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[Deutscher Titel: [Konferenz] Aufruf für Artikel-Beiträge: Wissensinfrastrukturmanagement für den Tourismus, , November 2008, Penang, Malaysia (Text übersetzen: Deutsch)] RARC 2008 - Rikkyo Amusement Research Centre International Conference, 3-4 November 2008, Penang, Malaysia 5 August 2008 - Abstract Due for Submission Organized by Rikkyo Amusement Research Centre (RARC) (Rikkyo University, Japan) School of Housing, Building & Planning (Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia) Rotterdam [...]

Sporadic play on the Xbox360 in the office is just not cutting it, anymore. I need to get my own console, damn it. And I will play these games until my thumbs are sore, my throat runs dry and the (wireless) controller feels like putty in my hands: Afro Samurai Samuel L. Jackson’s voice in a game. Do I [...]

[Deutscher Titel: Knowledge Flow, 3 (11), 2008 (Thema: Wissensmanagement messen) (Text übersetzen: Deutsch)] Knowledge Flow, Volume 3, Issue 11, July 2008 Special Topic: Measuring knowledge management Briefing on measuring KM KM measures The balanced scorecard and knowledge management Measuring knowledge management Measurement of knowledge management system effectiveness Measures in a customer support context: the impact of knowledge management Metrics for knowledge management and content [...]

There will never be a point when women are seen as more than a corporeal commodity. It is so ingrained in society that it is programmed or subliminal in almost every social occasion. A little unrelated and excuse the poor etiquette of ranting on a stranger's blog - some friends, my lesbian partner and I went for drinks. As has become almost inevitable at the end of the night a drunk, late thirties early forties guy came and sat at our table and made obnoxious and unsubtle advances. We are all relatively attractive in a nerdy way, but not the sort of women who men would go out of their way to pursue. It seemed the entire interchange was about power, as we could only ask the man to leave but not make him leave. He treated us like it was a gift to have him come and monopolise the end of our evening with lairy comments and misdirected advances. After about twenty minutes of politely but firmly dissuading conversation, when his comments towards me became too sexual in nature and disrespectful to my girlfriend, I told him i am gay, this is my girlfriend and I'd appreciate it that he kept his comments to himself. He then turned nasty, called me a bitch who should be grateful for his attention and started to be aggressive to a diminutive male friend of mine at the table. Okay, okay this guy is just an asshole. Most men would not behave like this. However, the thing that struck me was the attitude of the manageress. As soon as the man started raising his voice, she asked us to leave. We had eaten and drunk there all evening without causing trouble, and had only asserted ourselves so as not to be insulted and objectified. She said that one of us had to leave and she had no bouncers to throw him out. The body is a minefield of power relationships. Due to the cultural signification of our bodies as (hetero) sexualised sites and his masculine body as that of physical and social power we were penalised. Nx

Two years ago, I decided wanted to be a Web Standards crusader like Jeffrey Zeldman. I thought I knew what needed to be done and how to do it. But from time to time I wonder; has joining an advertising agency and attempting to influence the minds of clients, ATL teams and upper management to consider best [...]

[...] the WordPress related post feature pointed me to a post on KM at law firms (here) which I’ll have to check out when I’m back [...]

Thank you, thank you, thank you Lani. Sometimes Kaj makes me question the clarity of my writing, and it's a big reassurance that you got exactly what I meant. Where to start...well, with the part Lani already addressed. Where do you read that I don't want comic book adaptations to be "serious"? On the contrary, I think it's absolutely great that more complexity and depth is attempted - although in my mind, something can be complex and deep without necessarily being serious and/or dark, I don't get why the two categories are so often equated. And Kaj, you know me a little, so you should know that I do not look down in ANY way on comic books: I consider them a medium as valid as any other, with exponents that - like with literature, film, or really any form of art - range from fluff to works of great art. The sentence "an 'adult' movie despite is comic book origins" comes not from any disdain for comics, but is simply based on the fact that comic book MOVIES tend to be fairly silly. This is not to say that they are without depths - Burton's Batman films have very interesting undertones, and in some ways dare MORE than the Nolan ones, X-men had something to say about racism, X2 about homophobia, Spiderman 2 about feelings of impotence in the face of today's society and, yes, destiny, with Doc Ock's journey having parellels to Dent's, etc. Even Hellboy 2 , which admittedly has significant narrative problems and will only get 3 or 3.5 stars in my review, had potent undercurrents concerning, amongst other things, environmentalism, something I usually resent but was done in such an inobtrusive, melancholic way that I loved it. But that's another story. Suffice to say: I applaud more complex, deep movies, whether they're based on comic books or not. But if you want your movie to be taken seriously, it should be able to stand up to serious analysis and criticism. However, as soon as you start discussing the themes and complexities of The Dark Knight , and, in the process, its flaws, you're blamed for nitpicking, taking a popcorn flick "too seriously" etc. THAT was the point made by Nayman: not that there shouldn't be serious movies, but that they should stand up to serious scrutiny. Nolan's movie is dense, and there are a lot of ideas, but they don't cohere. His idea of complexity is a rather teenage one, thinking having a lot of thoughts is the same thing as being thoughtful. I won't admit that in the big pile, there are some interesting ones. Alexander, for example, wrote a very thorough and interesting analysis on his blog that's made me want to revisit the film. The strangest thing is: I LIKED the film. But there's such rabid enthusiasm over it that if you only liked it, you're backed into a corner and almost forced to attack it. I think The Dark Knight is an ambitious, interesting film with some great performances and moments of perfection (like the shot of the Joker above). But I also think it is flawed, that there are some jarring plot holes and inconsistencies, that it bites off more than it can chew, and that in the end, I was underwhelmed. I know I haven't addressed all your points, Kaj, but this is as long as another post, and I'm tired. I might come back to the rest, but don't hold your breath.

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As an addendum, A.O.Scott worded my basic problem with The Dark Knight almost perfectly: Instead the disappointment comes from the way the picture spells out lofty, serious themes and then ... spells them out again. What kind of hero do we need? Where is the line between justice and vengeance? How much autonomy should we sacrifice in the name of security? Is the taking of innocent life ever justified? These are all fascinating, even urgent questions, but stating them, as nearly every character in “The Dark Knight” does, sooner of later, is not the same as exploring them. ADDED: Nathaniel has some really interesting points too. I'm not quite as pessimistic as he is about the state of criticism, but I can empathize.

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Here’s a preview of Israeli choreographer Nimrod Freed’s PeepDance, performed by Tami Dance Company with music by Philip Glass.  It will make its US debut on July 26th (tomorrow!), 7-10 PM on the field at Central Park SummerStage, along with Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company in Rami Be’er’s Kef Kafim.  Click here for more information about this [...]