Showing posts with label Storytelling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Storytelling. Show all posts

Thursday, January 30, 2014

Έγκλημα και Τιμωρία, Εσωθέατρο

Το Σημείωμα του Σκηνοθέτη

Έτσι εξηγείται μάλλον η πρωτοφανής κοσμοσυρροή που σημειώθηκε στο Δημοτικό Θέατρο του Πειραιά, όταν ο Αλέκος Αλεξανδράκης πρωτόπαιξε στη δεκαετία του ’60 τον Ρασκόλνικωφ. Όλοι όσοι τρόμαζαν χρόνια και χρόνια στην ιδέα να καθίσουν να διαβάσουν οχτακόσιες σελίδες, πήγαν να μάθουν μέσα σε δυο ωρίτσες, τι στην ευχή ήθελε να τους πει αυτός ο Ντοστογιέφσκι. Είχαν περάσει εκατό χρόνια κι όμως, «αυτός ο Ντοστογιέφσκι» εξακολουθούσε –κι εξακολουθεί- να λέει πάρα πολλά. Γιατί μπορεί να άλλαξαν οι παραγωγικές σχέσεις, οι κοινωνικές συνθήκες, η κουλτούρα και η συμπεριφορά των ανθρώπων, μπορεί να προχώρησε η επιστήμη, να υποχώρησε η ανθρωπιά, να μετατοπίστηκαν πολλές φορές τα εθνικά σύνορα, να συγκεντρώθηκε ο πλούτος σε ακόμα λιγότερα χέρια, να μεγάλωσε η οικονομική ανισότητα και να επετεύχθη επιτέλους η απόλυτη ισότητα όλων μας στη μοναξιά αφότου πιάσαμε από ένα τηλεκοντρόλ  ο καθένας, αλλά…

Αλλά ο φόβος του θανάτου δεν ξεπεράστηκε. Εξακολουθεί να μας παρακινεί στο καλύτερο και στο χειρότερο. Να μας εμπνέει για να δημιουργήσουμε και ν’ αφήσουμε το χνάρι μας πάνω στη γη ή να μείνουμε αδρανείς μια που «όλα είναι μάταια». Να υποταχθούμε στη μοίρα μας ή να επιχειρήσουμε να την αλλάξουμε. Να αποδεχτούμε το ρόλο του θνητού που όσο ζει, κάποιος άλλος ρυθμίζει τα βήματά του ή να τολμήσουμε να γίνουμε θεοί, αποκτώντας δικαίωμα ζωής και θανάτου πάνω στους άλλους. Ο Κάιν και ο Άβελ. Ο Οιδίπους και  Λάιος. Ο δικτάτορας και o τυραννοκτόνος. Το στρατόπεδο Γκουαντανάμο και οι «τρομοκράτες». Ο Τζέκυλ και o Χάιντ. Ποιος είναι ο εγκληματίας και ποιος ο τιμωρός;

Σε μια εποχή που το θέατρο ξεχνά όλο και περισσότερο την καταγωγή του και την παιδευτική του αποστολή, προσχωρώντας στην ευτέλεια και τη συσκότιση, το ΕσωΘέατρο τολμά να θέτει ερωτήματα. Ελπίζω να βοήθησα να αναδυθεί όχι η απάντηση, αλλά η επιθυμία για την αναζήτησή της.

Γιάννης Καλατζόπουλος

Οι παραστάσεις

Το ΕσωΘέατρο μεταφέρει στο σανίδι το πασίγνωστο κλασσικό μυθιστόρημα «Έγκλημα και Τιμωρία» του Φιοντόρ Ντοστογιέφσκι. Ο συγγραφέας με ματιά διεισδυτική και πένα πυρφόρα, ορθοτομεί ψυχικά τους ανθρώπους της εποχής του·  ανθρώπους ικανούς για το καλύτερο μα... και για το χειρότερο.

Αγία Πετρούπολη, σωτήριον έτος 1866. Ένα διπλό φονικό διαπράττεται. Θύματα: μια γριά τοκογλύφος και η ανυπεράσπιστη αδερφή της. Δράστης: ο Ρασκόλνικωφ, ένας πρώην φοιτητής, που διακατέχεται από την ιδεοληψία ότι είναι «υπεράνθρωπος» και ότι δικαιούται να εγκληματήσει για το καλό της ανθρωπότητας… Η δράση φέρνει αντίδραση και το έγκλημα επισύρει τιμωρία. Ποια θα είναι τιμωρία του; Από πού θα προέλθει; Από το νόμο, με εκφραστή τον ανακριτή Πορφύρη  που υποπτεύεται τον ένοχο εξαρχής και τον κυκλώνει με δεξιοτεχνία ήρεμου γηραιού αιλουροειδούς;… ή από τη συνείδησή του, που θα τον καταβάλει όψιμα, μετά τη συνάντησή του με την πόρνη Σόνια, μια αγία αμαρτωλή; Η ομολογία του δράστη θα είναι αυτόβουλη· το αίτημα του παντεπόπτη οφθαλμού για δικαιοσύνη εκπληρώνεται κι επέρχεται η κάθαρση.

    Η διασκευή είναι του Τάσου Προύσαλη.
    Tην σκηνοθεσία και τους φωτισμούς υπογράφει ο Γιάννης Καλατζόπουλος,
    ενώ το σκηνικό και τα κοστούμια εποχής  έχει σχεδιάσει ο Κοσμάς Πανωρίδης.
    Η ζωγραφική εκτέλεση είναι του Στράτου Σαραντίδη.
    Η μουσική επιμέλεια είναι της Ναταλίας Τζήμα και
    η μίξη ήχων του Χριστόφορου Καρρά.
    Χρέη βοηθού σκηνοθέτη εκτέλεσε η Χρύσα Διαμαντάκη ενώ
    το φροντιστήριο επιμελήθηκε η Κρυσταλία Ιωαννίδου.

Η παράσταση «Έγκλημα και Τιμωρία» γνώρισε μεγάλη επιτυχία με σημαντική ζήτηση από το θεατρόφιλο κοινό. Έτσι παρουσιάστηκε για δύο συνεχόμενες θεατρικές περιόδους, αυτές του 2006-2007 και του 2007-2008, με διαφοροποιημένα σχήματα θιάσου.

                                          
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Saturday, June 1, 2013

Kick Ass, The Promise of The Premise, J Krueger!

KICK ASS! The Promise of the Premise
 
Kick Ass! Does Just That…


It’s rare that you see a big budget action movie that succeeds on as many levels as Kick Ass! Hilarious, high stakes action sequences, directorial vision, fabulous characters, bold acting choices, and more-fun-than-you-can-shake-a-nunchuck-at combine to make Kick Ass! the kind of action movie producers and audiences alike can salivate over. (The audience last night was literally cheering through the credits when the movie ended).

The Promise of the Premise

 
Every movie makes its audience a promise– what I like to call The Promise of the Premise. This promise is the built-in anticipation that convinces your viewers to pay their 12 bucks on your movie instead of some other flick.

Fulfill the promise of the premise, and your audience will be happy to appreciate your deep meaning, thoughts about the world, brilliant dialogue, and symbolic image systems right along with it. Fall short, and it doesn’t matter how brilliant your writing is, no one is going to make your movie.

Make The Promise of the Premise Work For You

 
Unless Brad Pitt is knocking down your door right now, when it comes to selling your script, The Promise of the Premise is the only thing the producer can depend on.

For writers, the adaptation and revision process has many aspects. But for producers, there’s really only one aspect that’s important: narrowing the gap between The Promise of the Premise, and what the script actually delivers.

As a writer who wants your work produced, you can harness this knowledge to focus your adaptation and revision process– whether that’s you’re adapting an idea for a movie into an actual script, revising a rough draft into more polished form, or creating a film version of a true life story, a novel, or a comic book like Kick Ass!

The best movies don’t just fulfill The Promise of the Premise. They exceed it.

Make YOUR Premise Kick Ass!

 
From the title alone, you know the promise of Kick Ass!: A tongue in cheek, goofy as hell, ass-kicking good time in which the least likely super heroes in the world will triumph over some serious bad guys.

But what makes Kick Ass! so successful is how it takes that promise and pushes it to the extreme, exaggerating both the comedy and the darkness of the main character’s journey, taking it further than he, or his audience, could ever have expected.

The result is a movie that is not only a rollicking good time, but also captures the best elements of the comic book form, to say something real about personal responsibility and how hard it is to actually take action against the things that are wrong in the world.

Stop Selling Out, and Sell In…


Young writers often think fulfilling The Promise of the Premise means selling out. They then make the mistake of either rejecting the promise of their own premise as an affront to their artistic integrity, or trying so desperately to write something “commercial” that they end up creating nothing but a hollow shell as a movie.

Whether you’re writing a hilarious action spoof like Kick Ass! or a deep character driven movie like A Prophet, your job as a screenwriter is to discover your premise and push it to the max.

But The Promise of The Premise isn’t something you impose on your script from the outside. It’s something that’s already there, suggested in every facet of your characters journey, and in every word you write, just waiting for you to discover it and bring it to the surface.

That’s not selling out. That’s the art of the screenwriter.

And the good news is, you can learn it.

 
If you’d like to learn how to harness the promise of your own premise, I invite you to join my upcoming screenwriting workshop. Whether you’re starting from scratch with a new idea, working on a screenplay adaptation, or revising an early draft of an existing screenplay, this class will forever change the way you look at screenwriting.

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

The Cold Cuts Amazing Atmosphere by Jacob Krueger

(The picture is taken from Jacob Krueger's website. He's the one attending with the hat!)

Cold Cuts is a free monthly reading series designed to give students the instant gratification and experience of hearing their work performed out-loud in-front of a live audience within days, hours, minutes of writing it.
Writers bring in 8 – 10 pages from their latest screenplay and trained actors get cast on the spot.
Cold Cuts takes place the first Thursday of every month at 8pm @ CSV Center 107 Suffolk St, NYC map

Get Involved
 

Writers
Cold Cuts is open to anyone currently enrolled in a class* at Jacob Krueger Studio.  Sign up for classes now! Simply show up, put your name in the hat, and if your name is called then next month your pages will be read!
 

Actors
Cold Cuts is always on the lookout for smart actors who enjoy developing new work. If this sounds like you please submit your head shot and resume below and you will be contacted shortly.

Frequently Asked Questions
 

Who Can Participate?
1.) Anyone Can Attend For Free
2.) To Submit Work You Must Be Currently Enrolled in a Screenwriting Workshop or    Master Class at Jacob Krueger Studio.
3.) Seminar Attendees are Not Eligible

What About Casting & Rehearsal?
1.) Your Work Will Be Read By Our Troupe of Professional NYC Actors.
2.) This is a Cold Reading Series Which Means There Is No Rehearsal or Auditions.
3.) All Scenes Are Cast On The Spot The Day of the Event.
4.) You Can Submit Your Pages Weeks, Days, or Even Minutes Before Your Performance.

Why Cold Readings?
Cold readings are often far more valuable for writers than readings that have been directed and rehearsed.  That’s because they give you a sense of how readers are interpreting your work and your characters with the turn of each page—just like a producer will do when they read your script..  Often, by following their impulses, actors will reveal hidden layers in your script that you didn’t even know were there.  And even elements that get misinterpreted can open doors for your writing, showing you new pathways to explore, or confusions to address in your next draft.

Can You Cast Your Own Actors?
If you have a highly specialized role that requires a specific actor, you are welcome to do your own casting.  Just let us know in advance.  We encourage you NOT to hold rehearsals or to coach your actors so you can get the full benefit of the cold reading experience.

Should You Invite Producers
You are welcome to invite anyone you want to your reading.  However please remember that the main goal of Cold Cuts is not to present perfectly polished work, but to help you develop your screenplay, by understanding how an audience reacts to an early draft.

I’ve Never Done a Reading Before.  What if My Scene Isn’t Good?
Bring us your tired, your poor!   Cold Cuts welcomes your great scenes, but it’s also a place to try out the stuff you’re struggling with, the scenes that you’re not sure about, and the ones that take huge risks and either fail or succeed boldly.  By watching the audience and listening to the actors, you’ll learn what really works and what really doesn’t.  And some of the answers may surprise you.

Do I Have To Pay The Actors?
All of our actors are volunteering their time and their talent.  There is no need for financial compensation, but they sure appreciate it if you buy them a drink!

Want To Participate as an Actor?
Are you an actor, or do you know a great actor who would be a perfect addition for our troupe? Great! Actors can sign up here.

Friday, January 27, 2012

The Thorn Birds

The epic begins with Meghann "Meggie" Cleary, a four-year-old girl living in New Zealand in the early twentieth century, the only daughter of Paddy, an Irish farm labourer, and Fee, his harassed but aristocratic wife. Although Meggie is a beautiful child with curly red-gold hair, she receives little coddling and must struggle to hold her own against her numerous older brothers. Of these brothers, her favourite is the eldest, Frank, a rebellious young man who is unwillingly preparing himself for the blacksmith's trade. He is much shorter than his brothers, but very strong; also, unlike the other Clearys, he has black hair and eyes.
Paddy is poor, but has a wealthy sister, Mary Carson, who lives in Australia on an enormous sheep station called Drogheda. One day, Paddy receives a letter from Mary offering him a job on her estate. He accepts, and the whole family moves to the Outback.
Here Meggie meets Father Ralph de Bricassart, a young, capable, and ambitious priest who, as punishment for insulting a bishop, has been relegated to a remote parish in the town of Gillanbone, near Drogheda. Ralph has befriended Mary, hoping a hefty enough bequest from her to the Catholic church might liberate him from his exile. Ralph is strikingly handsome; "a beautiful man"; and Mary, who doesn't bother to conceal her desire for him, often goes to great lengths to see if he can be induced to break his vows. Ralph blandly shrugs off these attentions and continues his visits. Meanwhile, he cares for all the Clearys and soon learns to cherish beautiful but forlorn little Meggie. Meggie, in return, makes Ralph the centre of her life.
Frank's relationship with his father, Paddy, has never been peaceful. The two vie for Fee's attention, and Frank resents the many pregnancies Paddy makes her endure. One day, after Fee, now in her forties, reveals she is again pregnant, the two men quarrel violently and Paddy blurts out the truth about Frank: he is not Paddy's son. Long ago, Fee had been the adored only daughter of a prominent citizen. Then, she had an affair with a married politician, and the result, Frank,was already eighteen months old when her mortified father married her off to Paddy. Because he resembles her lost love, Fee has always loved Frank more than her other children. To the sorrow of Meggie and Fee, when Frank learns that Paddy is not his father, he runs away to become a boxer. Fee later gives birth to twin boys, James and Patrick (Jims and Patsy), but shows little interest in them. Shortly afterward, Meggie's beloved little brother, Hal, dies.
With Frank gone and Hal dead, Meggie clings to Ralph more than ever. This goes largely unnoticed because Ralph has now been her mentor for several years; however, as she ripens into womanhood, some begin to question their close relationship, including Ralph and Meggie themselves. Mary Carson has also noticed their changing relationship, and from motives of jealousy mingled with Machiavellian cruelty, she devises a plan to separate Ralph from Meggie by tempting him with his heart's desire: a high place in the Church hierarchy. Although her will of record leaves the bulk of her estate to Paddy, she quietly writes a new one, making the Roman Catholic Church the main beneficiary and Ralph the executor.
In the new will, the true magnitude of Mary's wealth is finally revealed. Drogheda is not the centre of her fortune as Ralph and Paddy have long believed but is merely a "hobby", a diversion from her true financial interests. Mary's wealth is derived from a vast multi-national financial empire worth over thirteen million Pounds (about A$200 million in modern terms). The sheer size of Mary's bequest will virtually guarantee Ralph's rapid rise in the church. She also makes sure that after she dies only Ralph, at first, will know of the new will — forcing him to choose between Meggie and his own ambition. She also provides for her disinherited brother, promising him and all his grandchildren a home on Drogheda as long as any of them live.
At Mary's seventy-second birthday party, Ralph goes to great lengths to avoid Meggie, now seventeen and dressed in a beautiful rose-pink evening gown; later, he explains that others might not see his attention as innocent. Mary dies in the night. Ralph duly learns of the new will. He sees at once the subtle genius of Mary's plan and, although he weeps and calls her "a disgusting old spider" he takes the new will to her lawyer without delay. The lawyer, scandalised, urges Ralph to destroy the will, but to no avail. The bequest of thirteen million pounds works its expected magic, and Ralph soon leaves to begin his rapid advance in the Church.
Before he leaves, Meggie confesses her love for him; after the birthday party, Ralph finds her crying in the family cemetery and they share a passionate kiss, but Ralph refuses her because of his duties as a priest and begs Meggie to find someone to love and marry.
The Clearys learn that Frank has been convicted of murder after killing someone in a fight. He spends three decades in prison.
Paddy and his son Stuart are killed; Paddy dies in a lightning fire, and Stu is killed by a wild boar shortly after finding his father's body. Meanwhile, Ralph, unaware of Paddy and Stu's deaths, is on his way to Drogheda and suffers minor injuries when his plane bogs in the mud. As Meggie tends his wounds, she tries to seduce him and is rebuffed. Ralph remains at Drogheda only long enough to conduct the funerals.
Three years later, a new ranch worker named Luke O'Neill begins to court Meggie. Although his motives are more mercenary than romantic, she marries him because he looks a little bit like Ralph, but mainly because he is not Catholic and wants little to do with religion-her own way of getting back at Ralph. She soon realises her mistake. After a brief honeymoon, Luke, a skinflint who regards women as sex objects and prefers the company of men, finds Meggie a live-in job with a kindly couple, the Muellers, and leaves to join a gang of itinerant sugarcane cutters in North Queensland. Before he leaves, he appropriates all Meggie's savings and arranges to have her wages paid directly to him. He tells her he's saving money to buy a homestead; however, he quickly becomes obsessed with the competitive toil of cane-cutting and has no real intention of giving it up. Hoping to change Luke's ambition and settle him down, Meggie deliberately thwarts his usual contraception and bears Luke a red-haired daughter, Justine. The new baby, however, makes little impression on Luke.
Father Ralph visits Meggie during her difficult labour; he has come to say goodbye, as he is leaving Australia for Rome. He sees Meggie's unhappiness for himself, and pities her. Justine proves to be a fractious baby, so the Muellers send Meggie to an isolated island resort for a rest. Father Ralph returns to Australia, learns of Meggie's whereabouts from Anne Mueller, and joins her for several days. There, at last, the lovers consummate their passion, and Ralph realises that despite his ambition to be the perfect priest, his desire for Meggie makes him a man like other men. Father Ralph returns to the Church, and Meggie, pregnant with Ralph's child, decides to separate from Luke. She tells Luke what she really thinks of him, and returns to Drogheda, leaving him to his cane-cutting.
Back home, she gives birth to a beautiful boy whom she names Dane. Fee, who has had experience in such matters, notices Dane's resemblance to Ralph as soon as he is born. The relationship between Meggie and Fee takes a turn for the better. Justine grows into an independent, keenly intelligent girl who loves her brother dearly; however, she has little use for anyone else, and calmly rebuffs Meggie's overtures of motherly affection.
None of Meggie's other surviving brothers ever marry, and Drogheda gradually becomes a place filled with old people.
Ralph visits Drogheda after a long absence and meets Dane for the first time; and although he finds himself strangely drawn to the boy, he fails to recognize that they are father and son. Dane grows up and decides, to Meggie's dismay, to become a priest. Fee tells Meggie that what she stole from God, she must now give back. Justine, meanwhile, decides to become an actress and leaves Australia to seek her dream in England. Ralph, now a Cardinal, becomes a mentor to Dane, but still blinds himself to the fact that the young man is his own son. Dane is also unaware of their true relationship. Ralph takes great care of him, and because of their resemblance people mistake them for uncle and nephew. Ralph and Dane encourage the rumour. Justine and her brother remain close, although he is often shocked at her sexual adventures and free-wheeling lifestyle. She befriends Rainer Hartheim, a German politician who is a great friend of both Dane and Ralph's-- unbeknownst to her, he falls deeply in love with her. Their friendship becomes the most important in her life, and is on the verge of becoming something more when tragedy strikes.
Dane, who has just become a priest, is vacationing in Greece. While there, he goes swimming one day and dies while rescuing two women from a dangerous current. Meggie reveals before Dane's funeral that Dane is Ralph's son. Ralph dies in Meggie's arms after the funeral.
Justine breaks off all communications with Rainer and falls into a depressed, hum-drum existence. Eventually, they renew their acquaintance on strictly platonic terms, until Rainer visits Drogheda alone in order to urge Meggie to help him pursue Justine's hand in marriage.
Justine, now the sole surviving grandchild of Fee and Paddy Cleary, finally accepts her true feelings for Rainer. They marry, but have no plans to live on Drogheda.
The book's title refers to a mythical bird that searches for thorn trees from the day it is hatched. When it finds the perfect thorn, it impales itself, and sings the most beautiful song ever heard as it dies.
(from Wikipedia, the novel)

Monday, November 16, 2009

Δημιουργικότητα!


Αγαπητοί μου φίλοι οι πρώτες μου εμπειρίες από τη συγγραφή και το νέο μου βιβλιαράκι που βλέπετε παραπάνω με έχουν γεμίσει ενθουσιασμό και διάθεση για δημιουργικότητα. Ας τα πάρουμε όμως τα πράγματα από την αρχή. Σίγουρα ένα βιβλίο δημιουργικής συγγραφής μπορεί να αξιοποιηθεί ποικιλοτρόπως αλλά και για διαφορετικά προβλήματα ανά περίπτωση. Η προσωπική μου γνώμη είναι πως πρέπει να έχεις κάτι στα χέρια σου πρωτού ξεκινήσεις να χρησιμοποιείς τέτοιο βιβλίο. Το βιβλιαράκι μου με αντικείμενο τη δημιουργική συγγραφή έχει την παρακάτω δομή:
Workbook
Part 1: The Creative Process
Part 2: Writing Fiction
Part 3: Writing Poetry
Part 4: Life Writing
Part 5: Going Public
Readings (Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
Το βιβλιαράκι περιλαμβάνει θεωρία, πρακτική εξάσκηση, activities, discussions αλλά και homework, ποικίλης ύλης. Σίγουρα μπορείτε να μάθετε και άλλα πράγματα από το Amazon εγώ όμως σήμερα πριν το μάθημα θέλω να παίξω με τα νοήματα, τις περιγραφές και τα φανταστικά στοιχεία. Ίσως έτσι όπως έχω διαμορφώσει το πρόγραμμά μου να μπορέσω να μάθω κάποια πράγματα παραπάνω.
Και σαφώς κανείς δεν γνωρίζει τι θα προκύψει στο επόμενο κεφάλαιο...;) Να περνάτε καλά αγαπητοί μου φίλοι!!

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Ο Αλχημιστής, του Paulo Coelho.

Ο Αλχημιστής είναι η ιστορία του Σαντιάγο, ενός νεαρού βοσκού της Ανδαλουσίας, που αφήνει την πατρίδα του για να ριχτεί στην αναζήτηση ενός θησαυρού κρυμμένου στις πυραμίδες. Στο δρόμο, ο Σαντιάγο θα συναντήσει μία πανέμορφη γυφτοπούλα, έναν άντρα που αποκαλεί τον εαυτό του βασιλιά κι έναν αλχημιστή, ο οποίος θα τον μάθει να διαβάζει τα σημάδια της μοίρας, να ακούει την καρδιά του και, πάνω απ'όλα, να ακολουθεί με πίστη και αποφασιστικότητα το όνειρό του.
Απευθυνόμενο στο "παιδί" που ο καθένας μας κρύβει μέσα του, το βιβλίο αυτό του Κοέλο αποτελεί έναν υπέροχο φιλοσοφικό μύθο, εκθαμβωτικό στην απλότητα και τη σοφία του, τον οποίο συχνά-και δίκαια-συγκρίνουν με το Μικρό Πρίγκιπα του Σεντ Εξιπερί.

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Dreamfall. The Longest Journey!

Zoe is haunted by visions. A black house, a little girl and a desperate plea for help. Is it a dream - or a message? When her best friend vanishes, Zoe discovers a connection between her visions and a terrifying global conspiracy. Now Zoe must risk everything to find her friend and unravel the mystery. Her journey will take her across continents, to the end of the world and into the Winter - a place that holds the secrets of the past, and the key to the future.
Stark and Arcadia - the world of science and the world of magic, order and chaos. Two halves of a circle, divided by powerful thaumaturgists ten millennia ago to prevent humanity from destroying itself. Stark is our world, two centuries into the future, but much the same as the world we know today. Arcadia is alien and magical, but still comfortably familiar. It is a mirror image of our society, with magic instead of technology. But there is a third place. A different place. Those who know of it call it the Winter. It is between, below, and above. It is ahead and behind. It is past and future, everywhere and everywhen. And it hides a terrifying secret that will tear the twin worlds apart and cast cosmos into total chaos...
Zoe Castillo: a young woman at a crossroads in her life, embarks on a desperate search for her best friend. As her journey takes her across this world and into another, she learns of a conspiracy that threatens not only the people she loves, but everyone else, and for the first time in her life, she will have to take a chance and commit herself to something.
Kian: Serving the Six without question, he brings the Word of the Goddess to the Heretics and converts them, not with sermons, but with a sword. Now he is about to embark on a journey which will challenge his faith, and force him to question what he has always held to be self-evident and true.
April Ryan: Ten years ago, she went on a journey that changed the course of history. A decade later, the innocent girl has turned into a disillusioned woman, trapped in a world that was never her home. April may believe she's left the past behind her, but she is about to discover that destiny has a way of catching up with you.
Three stories, three people, one destiny: The dreamer. The rebel. The apostle.
Drawn by change - or fate - into events that will eventually bring them together, these three people are seperated by more than worlds, by more than faith, but in one thing they stand united:
Their lives are about to change, and nothing will ever be the same.
"One of the most anticipated adventure games in years." - Gamespot.

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Η ιστορία των μαθηματικών. Richard Mankiewicz!

Πως εξελίχθηκαν τα μαθηματικά διαμέσου των αιώνων? Πως συνδέονται με τα μαθηματικά οι κατακτήσεις και οι αλλαγές στον τρόπο ζωής μας? Πως διαμόρφωσαν οι μαθηματικές ανακαλύψεις την αντίληψή μας για το σύμπαν? Ο Ρίτσαρντ Μάνκιεβιτς αφηγείται την πορεία της σημαντικής αυτής πνευματικής δραστηριότητας μέσα στο πέρασμα του χρόνου και των πολιτισμών. Δείχνει έτσι ότι τα μαθηματικά δεν είναι μόνο το αντικείμενο μίας μικρής ελίτ φιλοσόφων, θεολόγων και επιστημόνων, αλλά διαπερνούν με τον ένα ή τον άλλο τρόπο κάθε ανθρώπινη δραστηριότητα. Το προαιώνιο δέος για τις κινήσεις των ουράνιων σωμάτων, τα μυστηριώδη "ημερολογιακά ραβδιά" των προϊστορικών λαών, οι χάρτες που χρησιμοποιήθηκαν στο εμπόριο, τις εξερευνήσεις και τους πολέμους, οι καινοτομίες στην τεχνολογία και τις εικαστικές τέχνες - όλα μαρτυρούν την παρουσία των μαθηματικών στην καρδιά της ιστορίας. Η διαδρομή αυτή της αέναα εξελισσόμενης επιστήμης σημαδεύεται από έναν θησαυρό εικόνων, που φιλοξενείται υποδειγματικά σ'αυτή την έκδοση: από τα πλούσια διακοσμημένα μεσαιωνικά χειρόγραφα μέχρι την ανατρεπτική τέχνη του Νταλί και του Ντυσάν, από την αυστηρή ομορφιά των βαβυλωνιακών πήλινων πινακίδων μέχρι τη ρευστή πολυπλοκότητα των εικόνων του υπολογιστή. Ο εικαστικός πλούτος συνοδεύεται από ένα ιδιαίτερα κατανοητό κείμενο, που ξεκινάει από τα επιτεύγματα των αρχαίων λαών (από τους Βαβυλώνιους και τους Έλληνες μέχρι τους Άραβες και από τους Κινέζους και τους Ινδούς μέχρι τους Μάγια) για να φτάσει ως την επιστημονική και την ψηφιακή επανάσταση. Στην πορεία δίνει το πορτρέτο μεγάλων μορφών όπως ο Πτολεμαίος, ο Ομάρ Χαγιάμ ή ο Κοπέρνικος, αλλά και λιγότερο γνωστών μαθηματικών όπως ο Καρντάνο, ο Άμπελ ή ο Νας. Η ιστορία των μαθηματικών είναι έτσι ένα αριστουργηματικό αμάλγαμα ιστορίας, βιογραφίας και εκλαϊκευμένης επιστήμης, που φωτίζει έναν απροσδόκητα προσιτό και συναρπαστικό κόσμο.
(Πρόκειται για το ομώνυμο βιβλίο)