Serene and Quiet

Last night, gnomi and I managed to attend a free preview showing of the upcoming film Serenity. Everyone I know who has seen it has been excellent about keeping quiet, and not giving away any spoilers, and we plan to do the same. Therefore, although we both have some thoughts about the film, we're going to keep quiet about it until after opening weekend.

It may amuse people to know that one of the reasons I wanted to see this film as soon as possible was so I could now read kradical's novelization. It's already out in bookstores. I'd suggest that if you plan to see the film, do so before reading the book.

This Day in History, 1897: Edison Patents the Kinetoscope

And speaking of movies...

On August 31, 1897, Thomas Alva Edison received his patent for the Kinetoscope, the first movie projector. Oddly enough, by 1897, both the kinetograph camera and the kinetoscope were approaching obsolescene. The patent's date was somewhat late, but Edison secured it anyway in order to take legal action against his competitors. For a variety of reasons, the decision to grant Edison this patent was highly controversial.

References:

Library of Congress American Memory: Today in History, 1897: Edison Patents the Kinetoscope

A Sneeze Caught on Film (from the Library of Congress; includes stills from the earliest surviving copyrighted motion picture, starting Fred Ott as the sneezer

Mail Delivery Suspended in Areas Damaged by Hurricane Katrina

Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds...but Herodotus said nothing about hurricanes.