Category: General

The Man Behind the Hiro

I’ve become a quick fan of NBC’s new superpowered series Heroes, with a particular fondness for the character Hiro Nakamura, a japanese office worker who discovers he can control time and space to a limited extent.

The thing that amazes me the most, though, is reading about the actor who plays him, Masi Oka. Not only has he been in a number of movies and television series, but according to his cast bio:

After graduating from Brown University with degrees in mathematics and computer science and a theatre arts minor, Oka pursued an acting career while taking his first job at George Lucas’ Oscar-winning special effects house Industrial Light & Magic.

Today, despite his successful career as an actor, he continues to provide ILM with technology for groundbreaking effects for more than 30 films.

Top 10 Worst Portrayals of Technology in Film

GideonTech has yet another "Top Ten Worst" list posted on their site, this time about the worst portrayals of technology in films that aren't science fiction.

I disagree with some of their choices, such as 1993's Jurassic Park , which should be disqualified under their "no scifi" rule.  I also think the 1998 movie Enemy of the State should go straight to the top of the list for a scene early on in the movie in which a low-grade security camera is used to "extrapolate" what's inside Will Smith's bag that's on the other side of his body.

At least they didn't try to include television shows.  There'd be no room left between all the fake computer operating system screens and computer hackers getting crystal clear images from grainy security camera footage while mouthing "enhance … enhance … enhance … enhance … ENLARGE!".