Fast Forward

This week is the annual "Year in Ideas" issue from The New York Times Magazine (12/9/2007). As a companion to the 70 "curious, inspired, perplexing and sometimes outright illegal innovations," the magazine's web site also produced an animation, "Drawing From New Sources." The 2-minute piece, briskly narrated and clearly summarized, plays out like a modern-day newsreel.

One especially forward-thinking message in the piece, all of which focuses on saving and generating energy, is how package deliverer U.P.S. conserves 3 million gallons of gas by "removing left-hand turns from its operations."

(via Core77)

Overheard tonight after a packed screening of Juno, the little film that's generating a lot of Oscar buzz for being a diamond in the rough, a throw-back to unpredictable and smart storytelling. Diablo Cody, ex-stripper and blogger from the Midwest, penned Juno, her first spec screenplay.

New York Times praises the script's epicenter:

"The movie has all the hallmarks of an art-house film — endlessly quirky dialogue with a soundtrack to match — but contains an old-fashioned moral center. At a time when many films about teenagers are a mess of machinations and hookups, Juno ends in a very tender hug."

Variety, back on November 1, explores Cody's need to blog:

"It's self-publishing. You don't have to worry about some donkey in New York sending a letter: 'This doesn't serve our needs at this time.' Instead you start getting fans, validation and the next thing you know, you have a book deal. I never received a rejection letter, never submitted anything in my life."

The blog got noticed by a manager, who eventually got it to Jason Reitman (Thank You for Smoking), who directed Juno.
Los Angeles Times speaks to her goals to rock the strong roles:

"I have a responsibility to write strong female characters. I'm going to continue to do it."