His Dark Materials trilogy - Philip Pullman
As demanded by a task of this magnitude, the trilogy is vast in both scope and scale spanning a number of parallel universes, numerous characters from forgotten races and a final confrontation with God himself in attendance. However, it is in the details that Pullman falters. The plot meanders as we start the second book, every page sees a new character coming in to complicate the already complicated plot. Older characters are conveniently forgotten only to be brought out of oblivion when the situation demands. As a book which argues in favour of the free spirit against the shackled existence under an authority, it pays too little attention to the players other than the main protagonists. Whatever, their world view might be Tolkein ended up inventing an entire history to give each of his characters a place and Lewis never complicated his plot enough to get too many in the first place.
The Golden Compass, Subtle Knife and Amber Spyglass are interesting fantasy novels with an even more interesting plot line but people expecting a classic of the magnitude of Lord of the Rings or even Harry Potter will probably be a little disappointed. For those interested in reading fantasy with a slightly different flavour from that of Lewis and Tolkein should definitely look at the Earthsea novels of Ursula K. Le Guin.
Online gaming - it’s not just about games any more
The recent technology survey by Economist has a article that points to the development of common standards in the world of online gaming that would lead to the creation of a platform. This would enable developers to create applications with all the advantages of a virtual 3-D world without worrying about the underlying mechanics of the platform.
The freeing of the applications from the platform will allow this platform to be used for more than just the next innovative video game. A recent Business Week article says IBM is using games like these as training platforms for management under various scenarios. In today’s world where the ability to get into a situation fast is a skill paramount for any aspiring manager such games will provide a easy way to build up their skills virtually without actually waiting to get a chance in the real world. And this is just the tip of the iceberg, if the platform for online 3-D rendering engines become standardized we would see a burst of creativity that would dwarf anything we have seen so far - including the browser.
Manchester United - The next season
Primary Squad
Goalkeepers: Edwin Van Der Sar, Ben Foster, Tomas Kuscack
Defenders: Gary Neville, Wes Brown, Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand, Gerard Pique, Gabriel Heinze (??), Mikael Silvestre (??), Patrice Evra
Midfielders: Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, Michael Carrick, Owen Hargreaves, Darren Fletcher (??), John O’Shea (??), Christiano Ronaldo, Nani, Anderson, Park Ji-Sung
Forwards: Wayne Rooney, Guiseppe Rossi, Alan Smith, Ole Gunnar Solsjkaer, Louis Saha
Formations
As in this season, I think SAF will work with the 4-4-2 or the 4-2-3-1 formations primarily. I see the later being utilized primarily in European competitions where retention of the ball is important in all areas of the pitch. Wide men in both formations will be switching flanks giving greater mobility to the side.
(Van Der Sar/Foster)
(Neville/Brown) (Ferdinand/Vidic/Pique/Brown/Heinze/Silvestre) (Heinze/Evra/Silvestre)
(Ronaldo/Nani/Park) (Carrick/Hargreaves/Fletcher/Scholes) (Giggs/Ronaldo/Anderson)
(Rooney/Rossi) (Smith/Saha/Ole)
(Van Der Sar/Foster)
(Neville/Brown) (Ferdinand/Vidic/Pique/Brown/Heinze/Silvestre) (Heinze/Evra/Silvestre)
(Hargreaves/Fletcher) (Scholes/Carrick)
(Ronaldo/Nani/Park) (Rooney/Anderson/Giggs) (Giggs/Ronaldo/Anderson)
(Rooney/Saha/Rossi)
The key decisions for SAF would not be the formations but the personnel employed primarily because certain players would not see themselves as mere squad players. I see 4 key areas:
1. Foster or Van Der Saar: Foster has had a outstanding season on loan. And Van Der Saar definitely looked slippery towards the later part in the season. Is Van Der Saar still the number one or is Foster capable enough to take over?
2. Anderson & Nani: Both of the new players were first team members in their old clubs. While they might have to still learn lots and adapt to the Premiership, they would not be content in sitting on the bench most of the time. Where and how to bring them in will decide how effective they are.
3. Giggs & Scholes: When to play them and when to rest them? If Nani and Anderson gel well with the team, does the superior experience of these guys merit them a place in the team. All the while considering that they probably don’t have the legs to play all matches in the entire season.
4. Hit-man: Rooney needs space to operate and is not an ideal hit man. How reliable is Saha? Or is Rossi capable enough to endure the physical nature of the Premiership?
