IJCH - Inside JaiChai's Head (Meaning: My Warped, Personal Opinions and Musings)
From the Author:
Salutations.
I am JaiChai.
And if I haven't had the pleasure of meeting you before, I'm delighted to make your acquaintance now.
I invite you to interact with everyone, learn, and have as much fun as possible!
For my returning online friends, "It's always great to see you again!"
Can't Get Enough of Dan Brown Novels!
I'm a longtime fan of Dan Brown novels.
Ass-Backwards
I kinda do things ass-backwards at times.
For example, if I like a movie based on a novel, I immediately search for the book and read it as soon as I can. I do this to quell my curiosity about what the producer changed or omitted from the original story.
Believe me, rarely does a film include everything from the novel that it's based upon.
For example, in the movie "The Bourne Identity", which was based on Robert Ludlum's novel of the same name, a key figure from the book was glaringly nonexistent in the movie - "Carlos the Jackal".
IMHO, one possible reason for omitting the "Carlos the Jackal" character from the movie could be the fact that the real life Jackal - Ilich Ramírez Sánchez, aka "Carlos the Jackal" - is still alive.
Ilich Ramírez Sánchez is currently serving multiple life sentences in a French prison for murdering two French counter-intelligence agents and being responsible for subsequent attacks that killed 11 and injured 150 people.
Who knows?
Maybe the movie company decided (or were strongly advised) against putting the spotlight on Sanchez and inviting a host of problems (e.g., renewing public interest, attracting greedy opportunists, and inadvertently creating a new generation of fans, copycats, etc.)?
It's hardly far-fetched to imagine the creation of whole industries based on the legendary exploits of the infamous "Carlos the Jackal".
So, I guess most authorities desire to "Let Sleeping Dogs Lie."
Anyway, back to our "movie vs. book" discussion...
In my experience, the book is always better than the movie.
Why is this?
Simple.
Because it's difficult to always convey what a character is thinking without using extensive "flashback" scenes, props, difficult-to-hear "thought whispers" inside someone's head (a la the original "Dune" movie), or hard to spot metaphors and symbols.
In contrast, when reading novels you are privy to the "real-time" introspection - thoughts hidden from observers - of each character; making the plot flow smoother in print vice on film.
The first Dan Brown novel I read was "The Da Vinci Code" AFTER seeing the movie.
I have been hooked on his novels ever since!
(Wow. That sure was a young Tom Hanks in that movie, no?)
Dan Brown
Dan Brown is the author of numerous #1 bestselling novels, including The Da Vinci Code, which has become one of the best selling novels of all time as well as the subject of intellectual debate among readers and scholars.
Brown’s novels are published in 56 languages around the world with over 200 million copies in print.
Cool Facts About Dan Brown
Writing novels was not Dan's first passion.
He originally wanted to be a singer and songwriter. So, after graduating from Amherst College in 1989, he started his own record company ("Dalliance"), created, produced, and released four CDs that actually attracted some supporters.
But alas, his lifelong obsession with personal privacy effectively put the kybosh on any prospects for advancing his career in music.
Then Dan decided to be an author of thriller novels. But as a new, "starving author", he had to take on jobs as a teacher to make ends meet.
In 1991, Dan taught Spanish at the Lincoln Akerman school, a Prep school in Beverly Hills, California. And then in 1992, he taught English at the - Phillips Exerter Academy - the same school of Dan's youth.
Dan's first three books received lukewarm - average reviews. But his fourth book "The Da Vinci Code" became a worldwide success.
(Clearly another case of an "Overnight Success" bursting on the scene out of nowhere AFTER years of preparation, failure, rejection, and invisible hard work!)
In a rare interview last year at his residence in Exeter, Massachusetts - a modest home strewn with artifacts and movie souvenirs, he was still getting used to his self-driving Tesla.
A man after my own heart, Dan habitually takes short breaks from his daily writing every 90 minutes to do some exercises (e.g., push-ups or other activities that can be done quickly in the home).
A Brief Introduction to "Origin" (A Novel by Dan Brown)
Edmond Kirsch, a billionaire computer scientist and futurist, as well as a strident atheist, attends a meeting in Catalonia with Roman Catholic Bishop Antonio Valdespino, Jewish Rabbi Yehuda Köves, and Islamic Imam Syed al-Fadl, three members of the Parliament of the World's Religions.
He informs them that he has made a revolutionary discovery that he plans to release to the public in a month. He is advising them out of supposed respect, despite his well known hatred of organized religion which he blames for his mother's death.
Horrified, the three learn that he is presenting it in three days' time, prompting Valdespino to send him a voice mail demanding that he stop or risk being discredited.
Why "Origin" is now My New Favorite Dan Brown Novel
"Origin" incorporates many of today's significant issues into one action packed, intriguing novel.
Through its characters, Dan Brown investigates a variety of age old religious, philosophical, and social debates; as well as the onslaught of new scientific discoveries and cutting-edge technologies.
But the biggest reason "Origin" has become My New Favorite Dan Brown Novel is because the issues in the book also happen to be some of my favorite topics and personal passions.
Here's a short list of the fascinating subjects that the characters have to wrestle with:
The trappings, trials and tragedies of both the renowned and the royal.
The state of Religion or lack thereof.
Creationism vs. Evolution
PTSD
Cosmological Entropy
Self Organization of Non-live particles (In some respects, the rationale proposed in the book reminded me of Conway's "Game of Life")
MIT physicist, Jeremy England's Thermodynamic Dissipation Theory
Role of consciousness and free will among the different theories of physics
Artificial Intelligence (minus Asimov's Fundamental Laws for Robots)
The Singularity
Call for Religious Adaptation
And much more!
I highly recommend reading "Origin" by Dan Brown. It's a novel that calls attention to important issues that will affect everyone on the planet.
But more importantly, "Origin" will force all its readers to examine their own belief systems and decide whether they are true and effective, or false and obsolete.
By JaiChai
Really Appreciate You Stopping By.
Truly hope to see you again!
About the Author -
Believing that school was too boring, he dropped out of High School early; only to earn an AA, BS and MBA in less than 4 years much later in life – while working full-time as a Navy/Marine Corps Medic.
In spite of a fear of heights and deep water, he performed high altitude, free-fall parachute jumps and hazardous diving ops in deep, open ocean water.
After 24 years of active duty, he retired in Asia.
Since then, he's been a full-time, single papa and actively pursuing his varied passions (Writing, Disruptive Technology, Computer Science and Cryptocurrency - plus more hobbies too boring or bizarre for most folk).
He lives on an island paradise with his teenage daughter, long-term girlfriend and three dogs.
