Author: Harrison
-
Read “Seven sci-fi models for the Space Force” on Medium
On August 9, Vice President Mike Pence announced that the U.S. will proceed with President Trump’s plan to create the United States Space Force, the sixth branch of the U.S. military. As you might guess, the announcement was met with controversy. It’s a good thing that we have so many sci-fi stories that have considered…
-
Read “The elusive star of Vergina” on Medium
Last June, I had the opportunity to visit Vergina, a small village in Northern Greece that is home to the tomb of Philip II, Alexander the Great’s father. It was a tremendous experience, full of the power and splendor of ancient Macedonia. In terms of the difficulty in navigating Greece’s public transit options, however, it…
-
Two ‘Solo’–themed posts now on Medium
In honor of the theatrical release of Solo: A Star Wars Story, I’ve posted two relevant blog posts on Medium. The first is “Other ‘Star Wars’ stories yet to be told,” a humor article detailing speculative treatments of other potential Star Wars spinoff films. The second is my review of Solo: A Star Wars Story: “With ‘Solo,’ Star Wars…
-
Read “In ‘Barry,’ tragedy masquerades as comedy” on Medium
As an assassin-turned-aspiring actor, Bill Hader ‘killed it’ in Season 1 of HBO’s new comedy series, ‘Barry’. If you watch or are interested in ‘Barry’, check out my review on Medium. For more of my reviews and blog posts, visit https://medium.com/@harrisonblackman. *** Featured Image: Photo by Paul Garaizar on Unsplash.
-
Earth science history exhibition featured at Princeton Research Day on May 10, 2018
On May 10, 2018, I had the pleasure of presenting a poster entitled “Rocks all the way down: The earthshaking history of Princeton mineralogy” at the 3rd annual Princeton Research Day event. Charting the history of Princeton mineral and earth science from the early American republic to today, “Rocks all the way down” showcases how…
-
Read “‘Taos 2010’ dreams revisited” in The Taos News
In 1989, The Taos News asked residents to predict what Taos would be like 20 years into the future. Nearly three decades later, I asked them how it all turned out—and what they now hope for in the years to come. What emerges is a startling portrait of a community’s transformation over the years, and…
-
Read “The manipulative storytelling of ‘The Avengers: Infinity War’” on Medium
The Avengers: Infinity War is projected to gross $240 million nationwide its opening weekend, making for the second U.S. highest box office debut in history. As such, it’s the movie that everyone is talking about—and so I’ve added my voice to the mix. Critics don’t always write from a screenwriting perspective, and so my take considers…
-
Read “Westworld’s storytelling challenge” on Medium
Westworld, HBO’s sci-fi Western TV series, returns for a second season on Sunday, April 22. But Westworld has a particular problem among television dramas—the first season was structured like a puzzle box—and the same format might not be as effective the second time around. In anticipation of the season premier, my latest post on Medium…
-
“Narrative Architecture” creative writing workshop held at Princeton University Writing Program
Within certain storytelling genres (such as fiction & screenwriting), there lurks an essential element that is often difficult to pin down. That element is narrative architecture, the structure of the story that — like the steel frame of a building — works to justify a plotline, and most critically, a character’s decision-making within that context.…
-
Read “The ‘First’ Winter Olympics: How Chamonix 1924 iced out a rival Nordic competition” on Medium
The Olympic Games. Out of all international sporting events, those three words possess the most fanfare. They evoke tradition, history—and the symbolic flame. But if the Olympics are inspired from an ancient Greek tradition, then how did the Winter Games—featuring hockey, skating and curling—come to be? The answer is complicated, and it’s the subject of my latest…