Justin du Coeur

Thanks to siderea and others for pointing out the trailer to V For Vendetta. It's worth checking out.

For those not familiar with it, this is an Alan Moore story, my personal favorite graphic novel of all time. It's a fascinating story, about the evils of untrammeled government (and the dangers of the alternative), about true radicalism and about how people can be changed by it, all wrapped up in a yarn that is at turns rousing and bleak.

The Wachowskis (the brothers behind The Matrix) have adapted it to film, and are releasing it on perhaps the most appropriate possible date. I've heard that there are issues with the script, so we'll see how it comes out in the end. But the trailer is encouraging -- aside from the inevitably gratuitous special effects, it captures the spirit of the story extremely well.

Fingers crossed -- this story is even more timely than it was when it was written, and I am hoping it plays out well...

I was reminded of this when responding to tpau's journal just now. One realization from this weekend is that tastes in roller coasters vary partly based on what sort of G forces you like.

tpau is very into negative G's -- the sort of thing where the coaster suddenly dips and goes into freefall, so you basically aren't attached to your seat for a bit, and are just being held in by the restraints. That turns out to set off my acrophobia very slightly -- not enough to wreck my enjoyment of the ride, but enough to temper it. This means that she really loves the Superman coaster at Six Flags, one of the most negative-G-centric coasters I know.

By contrast, I love positive-G spins -- the sort of thing where the G forces hold you steady in your seat as the ride loops, spins, and corkscrews. The sensation of sitting there as the world turns around me is just delightful. The result is that I prefer the Batman coaster, which is much more positive-G-centric, with lots of loops and screws.

Idle curiosity: what sorts of roller coaster do you prefer? Does the negative/positive dichotomy matter to you?