Plot Embryo

The October issue of Wired has a feature on Dan Harmon, writer and creator of the sitcom Community. While I'm not familiar with Harmon or the sitcom, I found the article interesting because it expounded on Harmon's concept of a plot "embryo", as pictured above.

As the article explains, Harmon calls the concept an embryo because it "contain[s] all the elements needed for a satisfying story," and I must agree that it's an elegant deconstruction of any story's plot. The components are as follows:

1. A character is in a zone of comfort.
2. But they want something.
3. They enter into an unfamiliar situation.
4. Adapt to it.
5. Get what they wanted.
6. Pay a heavy price for it.
7. Then return to their familiar situation.
8. Having changed.

Certainly, this is food for thought that anyone fond of literature can appreciate.

(And, well, if you happen to be a fan of Community, then by all means check out the article, too.)

Connected

There's no denying that social networks have captured the popular imagination. Whether or not this is just a passing fad, a very cogent book on the topic can be found in Nicholas Christakis' and James Fowler's Connected: The Amazing Power of Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives.

The book condenses much of Christakis' and Fowler's own research, as well as many of the key findings and current directions in the study of social networks to date. In that sense, it is perhaps best described as a literature review, albeit one appropriately repurposed from its origins in purely academic inquiry in order to cater to a more mainstream set of readers.

Part of the fun involved in reading through Connected is picking up random bits of trivia about society and relationships. For instance, you will learn that marriage tends to increase men's lifespans by as much as seven years as opposed to only two for women, or that loneliness is, strangely, contagious ("...you are about 52 percent more likely to be lonely if a person you are directly connected to [...] is lonely".) Even the famous Dunbar number -- the number of people (about 150) with whom stable relationships can be maintained -- is discussed at length, which is perhaps the bare minimum anyone should know about social networks, at the end of the day.

Christakis and Fowler delve into a variety of topics: from health and epidemiology; to love, dating and marriage; to American politics; and of course to social networks in virtual settings (among others). Overall, Connected is an undeniably clever book, and one that will have people thinking differently about the ties that bind us together.

Law [Presentation Thursdays]

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As a Catholic, I have an affinity for the philosophy of St. Thomas Aquinas. That said, I think it would be fair to say that his thoughts on law (and what constitutes law) are elegant in their simplicity and rich in their meaning.

Personally, I enjoyed lecturing on Aquinas for Political Thought. And whether or not you take to the spiritual bent of his philosophy, its hard not to see how his definition of (just) law -- an ordinance of reason, for the common good, made by one who has the care of the community, and promulgated -- applies even in secular contexts.

'Nuff said.

[Confused about Presentation Thursdays? Then read the first in the series].

Chefs for Education 2

Philippine Business for Education (PBED) held its second Chefs for Education dinner last 27 August 2011. This "jeans ball", as it was dubbed, was a fundraiser for PBED's 1000 Teachers Program, which aims to fund scholarships to encourage students to pursue degrees in Education in order to eventually become public school teachers.

Held at the White Space, the highlight was a six-course dinner prepared by some of the top chefs in the Philippines.

Some pictures for posterity:

PBED Chairman Ramon del Rosario welcomed the guests and spoke about the 1000 Teachers Program.

DepEd Secretary Bro. Armin Luistro briefly addressed the crowd (impromptu, I gather).

Aurelio Montinola III, PBED Vice Chairman, joined Mr. del Rosario to toast the supporters of the 1000 Teachers Program.

Then dinner was served:

The first course, from Chef Rob Pengson (The Goose Station), was a Cured Tasmanian Ocean Trout with a Bacolod cross crab and seared scallops. This was paired with a Banfi Fumaio Chardonnay Sauvignon Blanc 2010.

The second course was a Goat's cheese and thyme gnocchi with sauce Soubise, speck and Davao pecorino. This was paired iwth a Villa Maria Private Bin Sauvignon Blanc 2011. The dish was prepared by Chef Colin Mackay (Sala).

Pot-au-feu de canard (in effect, foie gras in broth) was the third course, as prepared by Chef Norbert Gandler (Aubergine).

Chef Victoria Pacheco (Chateau 1771) prepared the main course, SRF Black Wagyu Striploin with celeraic puree and grain mustard jus. This was paired with Cape Jaffa Shiraz 2008.

Carpaccio's Chef Pierre Benedict also prepared a Brillat-Savarin with sweet spiced tomato conserve, which was served right before dessert.

The wines were courtesy of Brett Tolhurst of Wine Depot.

Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of the hors d'oeuvre prepared by Chef Margarita Fores (Pepato) during the cocktails. Neither was I able to take a picture of the rhubarb and strawberry dessert.

Overall, a wonderful dinner for a very worthy cause.

(Obviously, it was very challenging to take photos over dinner, given the lighting. I took the photos without flash since I didn't want to disturb everyone while eating.)

You Are Not a Robot [The Internet Is Down]

So I was doing some aimless websurfing one afternoon when I decided to look something up via Google.

But rather than see my search results after entering keywords, I ended up having to accomplish the captcha above to confirm that I wasn't some bot just gaming the system.

Anyone else have this happen to them? Personally, I think it a bit odd; yet I suppose it is strangely comforting to know that Google cares whether human beings are actually using their site -- well, comforting in an existential sort of way, that is.

I do wonder, though, what Google does with this kind of information...

(Oh, it's easy enough for the curious among you to recreate the incident. Just key in the URL http://www.google.com/sorry and you're good to go.)

[Confused about The Internet Is Down? Then read the first in the series.]