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  • Feeling Uninspired? Try Watching ‘Local Hero.’

    Film poster for “Local Hero.” Warner Bros.

    When it comes to films, I’m more interested in aesthetics than plot. That is why I’m recommending the 1983 film “Local Hero,” despite not really knowing the plot. Admittedly, I’ve only seen the film a handful of times, but I still count it as one of my favorite films. I turn to it when I’m feeling uninspired or listless. The filming took place on location in Scotland, and the atmosphere of the film is superb.

    The Glaswegian Mark Knopfler wrote and produced the soundtrack, and I count the soundtrack as one of my favorite albums. I’ve listened to the soundtrack considerably more times than I’ve seen the film.

    Album cover for the “Local Hero” soundtrack. Warner Bros.

    This soundtrack is Knopfler’s debut soundtrack album. Standout tracks include “Wild Theme” and “Going Home: Theme of the Local Hero.”

    On a related note, I saw Knopfler perform in 2019 and took this video:

    The security guard standing nearby blocked my first attempts at capturing a video, but was OK with me filming this one.

    I don’t watch many films. Even as a child, I never had the attention span to sit through most films. However, “Local Hero” is a film I can watch because of its moody atmosphere and emphasis on realism as opposed to glossy special effects, which are a turnoff for me.

    If you, dear reader, are feeling alone or vulnerable, please try watching this film. I know I will.

  • I Don’t Need A.I.

    Unless everyone’s mind is controlled by the N.S.A. and their military-grade A.I.—and, anecdotally, from my experience, I believe this is true (though the N.S.A. also humorously stands for Never Say Anything, so I will try not to broach this topic again)—this blog will never use A.I. for the writing or ideas. However, using A.I. in some form is sometimes unavoidable, since Google now uses A.I. when doing basic searches. But I will still not use A.I. for the writing or the generation of ideas for this blog.

    The reasons are twofold: It’s dishonest, and I don’t need it. It’s self-explanatory why it’s dishonest. I don’t need it because I taught myself how to write in high school by reading Newsweek cover to cover each week, reading books on grammar, and studying for the ACT. I worked hard to teach myself how to write, and I’m proud of myself for it. I’m not about to relegate my writing to the whims of chatbots that, from my cursory understanding, are programmed to produce vapid content, shoddy writing, and telltale signs of their use.

    I got the idea for this post from an article The New York Times published titled “I Teach Creative Writing. This Is What A.I. Is Doing to Students.” The author, a professor at Yale University, talked about what she’s learned about ChatGPT, the most ubiquitous chatbot, which was released in 2022. I have never used ChatGPT or any other chatbot (unless Google counts), and I hope to keep it this way.

    I want visitors of this site to know that all the content is original, with every word a product of my imagination, which is then converted to text and mulled over repeatedly during the editing process. I don’t need or want A.I.—unless all of our minds are controlled by the N.S.A. I think this is the case, but I will Never Say Anything and will try not to broach this topic again.

  • Welcome to Scribner.org

    Hi, I’m Nicholas Scribner! Welcome to Scribner.org, my new home page, which I promise to update frequently with my writing and photography.

    At the present moment, I am living in a short-term facility in Rochester, Minnesota, and hope to live in more permanent housing here soon. Please join me in my journey to independence, which shall be thoroughly documented on this website.

    If you already know me, thanks for stopping by. If, on the other hand, you landed on this page and have no idea who I am, I will fill you in on some details: I am 36 years old, single (and not ready to mingle), and looking to start a new life and career in the aforementioned city.

    Thanks again for visiting. I will try to make this site worth everyone’s while.