Some books do more than tell a story: they build a whole world so detailed that you forget where you are. Fantasy, science fiction and epic family sagas are especially good at this. Fantasy worlds Science fiction worlds Epic sagas across generations Visually vivid books Some novels are celebrated for prose that paints pictures: The … Read more
Editing is sometimes called the invisible art. When it works, viewers do not notice the cuts; they simply feel the story move. Yet the editor decides what the audience sees, in what order and for how long, which can completely change a scene. Continuity editing Most mainstream films use continuity editing, a set of conventions … Read more
Audiences rarely notice good sound, but they immediately notice bad sound. Sound design covers everything you hear in a film apart from music: dialogue, effects, footsteps, wind, the hum of a room. It makes images feel real and directs attention. The layers of film sound Famous examples Ben Burtt created many of the sounds of … Read more
Watch a tense scene with the sound off and it often loses much of its power. Music tells the audience how to feel, links scenes together and gives characters an emotional identity. It is one of the most powerful tools a filmmaker has. Score and source music Some of the most memorable moments blur the … Read more
For most of the 20th century, seeing a new film meant going to a theater. Today, many films premiere on streaming platforms, and theaters compete with home screens. The change raises big questions about how films are made, released and experienced. From DVDs to streaming Netflix began as a DVD-by-mail service and launched streaming in … Read more
A new shower head is one of the cheapest upgrades in a bathroom, and replacing one takes about fifteen minutes. The harder part is choosing among the dozens of models on the shelf. Types of shower heads Flow rate and water use US federal rules limit new shower heads to 2.5 gallons per minute (gpm). … Read more
Leaving your pet with someone else is easier when you have checked them carefully. The same principles apply to sitters, dog walkers and groomers: verify, meet, test, and stay alert to how your pet reacts. Where to look What to check Questions for a sitter or walker Questions for a groomer Meet and do a … Read more
Mindful eating means paying attention to what and how you eat, without judgment. It is not a diet and it has no forbidden foods. Its aim is to reconnect with hunger, fullness and taste, which many of us lose when eating in front of a screen or on the run. Notice hunger and fullness Before … Read more
Cooking for one has a reputation for being a hassle: recipes serve four, produce goes bad and eating the same dish four days in a row gets old. A few strategies make it easy and even enjoyable. Shop for one Cook once, eat differently Rather than four identical dinners, make a base and transform it: … Read more
Your internet plan sets an upper limit that no setting on your computer can raise. What you can do is make sure your PC actually receives what you pay for, and that background tasks are not eating it. In practice, many people get far less than their plan allows, and most of the loss happens … Read more
