Tag: Quora

Deano’s answer to: “Did James Bond ever really love any woman?”

Posted on by Deano in Q & A

One could assume that, as part of the necessary compartmentalization of one’s emotions required to be a cold-blooded killer for one’s nation, Bond necessarily carries a different internalized definition of love not based on traditional mores. It may well be that James Bond loved them all.

This could not only explain the number of women he beds, but how quickly he can switch his feelings for them on and off as the situation demands – by his very nature, intensity is what rules Bond’s actions and motivations, and during each of his assignments he basically lives an entire ‘normal human lifespan’, which must then be cast aside for the next.

More familiar analogues of this effect would be: military personnel stationed overseas for a set period, foreign correspondents and photographers pursuing stories around the globe, “business class” roadwarriors hooking up in hotel bars, and of course, Several Members of the High School Senior Ski Trip™.

This answer originally appeared on Quora: Did James Bond ever really love any woman?

Deano’s answer to: “If there were a clone of me, would the clone think and act like I do? Why?”

Posted on by Deano in Q & A

It depends on the type of clone.

In television, books, and the movies, the popular conception of a clone is a “fully formed copy” of the original, with the same memories, skills, physical attributes, etc.

In the hard science of the real world, cloning is already happening, but mostly at the “genetic coding” level – the resulting organisms, while “copies of the original blueprints”, are “constructed in different locations/climes”, and in a way “from different materials”… Think of it like buying the same size plank of the same variety of wood from Home Depot each week – every one will be just a little bit different, though they’ll all “measure up” equally in their specification.

At least in the sense that our memories and experiences make us who we are, such clones would be lacking. That said, there’s no reason why cloning as a process could not be advanced to the point where these additional aspects were also recorded, copied and implanted into the clone(s).

Thus, to answer your question, such an outcome may someday be possible, but for now, the best you can hope for is (after 9-odd months) a newborn sibling who may or may not resemble you throughout its maturation, who will grow up in a world vastly different from your own childhood (no matter how hard you try to replicate your own childhood, the food chain, global warming, and Facebook are all working hard to make that a near impossibility.

As such, your clone will likely bear little resemblance to you now when it reaches your current age. Still, you probably won’t be able to find a better donor when you need a kidney/heart/lung/retina/bone marrow replacement down the line…

For that reason alone, I can imagine a near-future where Hollywood celebs “adopt their own clones” rather than third world refugee babies.

This answer originally appeared on Quora: If there were a clone of me, would the clone think and act like I do? Why?

Deano’s answer to: “If you agree that Superman, Batman & Wonder Woman are the DC big 3, who’s #4?”

Posted on by Deano in Q & A

If you go by power level, Green Lantern

If you go by mainstream recognition, The Flash

If you go by “cool factor” for the few people who ever notice him, Martian Manhunter

If you go by Hughesian Debating Skills, I’m totally won over on Aquaman 🙂

Personally, I use the “Dan Brereton Coolest Art/Pose” factor, which again I would argue gives a pretty solid win to Aquaman:


(Also, look at the panels – clearly Aquaman is standing/floating IN FRONT OF the other three “JLA Core Members”, more prominently so in the bottom panels)

This answer originally appeared on Quora: If you agree that Superman, Batman & Wonder Woman are the DC big 3, who’s #4?

Deano’s answer to: “Why is Internet Explorer always behind in its support of the latest technical innovations?”

Posted on by Deano in Q & A

It isn’t behind on technical innovations. Merely behind on non-Microsoft-created technical innovations.

Because Microsoft spends a significant amount of time creating alternatives to standards-based protocols, platforms, languages, etc, they feel the need to “prove out” same by providing a reference implementation that can gain public traction, and hopefully subvert the alternatives.

Historically, with things like ActiveX, this was actually a fairly effective strategy. It was even touch and go there for a bit with Silverlight (no, really!). Because IE was also historically the default browser installed with Windows, there was a natural symbiosis – the vast installed base of IE users was so large, that accommodating the Microsoft technology (especially when it ran faster/better within IE, or on the server end under NT/2000/2003 Server), and even ignoring cross-platform compatible solutions was often the answer that drove higher profits for small and medium businesses with a web presence.

A few factors negated this effect in more recent years: Adobe Flash (which gained enough Windows-side performance, cross-platform marketshare, and overall functionality, to make Microsoft web technologies basically moot), and the FireFox cross-platform browser (which, with its initial tiny footprint, lightning-fast performance, and better security, gave it a leg up on every other platform, and eventually even Windows, at a time when Microsoft had “declared victory”, and basically ceased IE development).

This more or less brings us to today: Microsoft, which is still trying to foist Microsoft-created or licensed web technologies on the public, doesn’t prioritize support for Internet standards, and is instead trying various ways to innovate through differentiation and integration with the greater Windows/Office platforms. As this tactic seems to be unsuccessful, the only remaining question is, will Microsoft cede the desktop browser victory to Google/Mozilla/Apple while pursuing alternate platforms (mobile and gaming OSes, giant touch-table furniture, and ergonomic mice), or finally catch up on the standards with IE 10, and only then try to push ahead with IE 11 once some form of leadership in the browser has been restored.

Due to the inherent inefficiencies of a mature organization like Microsoft, it is unlikely that the latter option will come to pass.

This answer originally appeared on Quora: Why is Internet Explorer always behind in its support of the latest technical innovations?

Deano’s answer to: “Why aren’t more superhero movies better?”

Posted on by Deano in Q & A

Showing us how someone got super powers? Boring.

Showing us what they do with those powers, and showing (not telling) us why? THE HOTNESS.

In short, all Superhero movies need to do to dramatically improve in quality and performance is pretty simple: stop treating the superpower as the main character.

They don’t need to explode bigger stuff. They don’t even need to win. Just present us with a damn good explanation for why Sue Storm isn’t the world’s richest paparazzi(*), and we’ll be happy.

M. Night Shyamalan gets a bad rap, because, er, most of his movies are terrible. But, he actually made a really great superhero epic no one really thinks about anymore, Unbreakable. All he did was make a superhero movie about real people, where the powers were very much secondary to the story. We need more movies like that.

Superhero movies are still movies. Powers are props and plot points, you still need an actual story, and identifiable characters. Even in cases where the overall story is very well known (Superman), there’s a ton of room for insights that delight and surprise twists that keep us wondering…

(* Despite the extensive grassroots petitioning, however, we really don’t need an explanation why her boyfriend doesn’t work in porn.)

This answer originally appeared on Quora: Why aren’t more superhero movies better?