Movie Review -- The Circle

 The movie The Circle stars Emma Watson, Tom Hanks, Patton Oswalt and others. 

I had never heard of the movie or the book until I saw it listed in the available titles for my Amazon Prime video selection. 

It had Emma Watson, so I figured it was worth watching.  I was right.  The film did not get very many positive reviews, but I disagree.  I found it very thought provoking and indicative of where we as a society are headed if we are not careful.

Emma's character Mae lands a job at a very forward thinking company due to an acquaintance of hers that works there.  Her friend Annie tells her nothing other than how great the company is.  We find out why fairly soon.  Social networking with coworkers is required.  Extra curricular socializing with coworkers is required.  Very required.  As in if you miss a weekend activity, it is mentioned to you by HR.

When Mae gets herself into a situation that company management assists her with as a kindness, the CEO (played by Tom Hanks) then leverages that kindness to compel Mae to participate in an experiment that leads her down a path where there is almost no turning back.

In this world of "sharing" and with so much about our lives and the lives of politicians and celebrity being so public--the things that are kept private are becoming more and more dangerous and illicit.

This happens in today's world all too often.  Are sports players in Public Safety commercials because they feel strongly about that topic, or because it is a consequence of some behavior they now want to keep private such as a speeding ticket, drunk driving, etc. that the general public will never know about?  Shouldn't we know about those kinds of things?

We've all formed opinions based on what we saw or read about a person.  But in today's world, what we see is increasingly staged, rehearsed, and paid for promotions and endorsements.  It's hard to know who to look up to because everyone seems to have a motive for their actions.

So where is my guilt in this scenario?  Do I share too much?  I'm not sure.  Do I share things that are misleading and/or untrue?  Definitely not.  But is my case the exception or the rule?

 

How do you exit the freeway?

I have a commute to work of about 28 miles each way.  A portion of that is on Interstate 39 in Wisconsin. 

As I merge on to the freeway each morning, there is inevitably a back up in the right lane due to cars slowing down to get off the freeway at the next exit.  This makes it somewhat unsafe as not only am I merging, but I'm also trying to get into the left lane to get around all these yahoos who have the nerve to be getting off at the next exit.  (That's a joke--mostly  :))

This led me to call to remembrance in my learning to drive days the seriousness with which both my dad and brother admonished me to not slow down until you are ON the off ramp or in the exit lane.  If you slow down in the lane of traffic prior to the ramp, you could/would be run over or cause an accident.

However, that was back when the speed limit was 55 mph on the interstate.  The speeds are faster now, have the on and off ramp criteria changed to allow for the increased speeds of the vehicles using the entrance and exit lanes?  Do you have to slow down prior to the exit lane in order to have your vehicle stopped at the end of the exit ramp?

After doing some research and reading a few articles which I will link for your reference, the answer in a lot of cases is yes--in order to safely stop your vehicle at the bottom of the exit ramp, you must begin slowing down prior to the exit lane.

An average vehicle traveling at 60 miles per hour takes 302 feet to safely come to a stop.  Reference  

The USDOT requirement for an exit ramp distance if the posted speed is 60 miles per hour and the exit ramp is relatively straight is less than 200 feet. Off Ramp Reference

I also checked the driving rules.  Were my teachers overly cautious and/or wanting me to be overly cautious?  Nope--on a "learn to drive" website it instructs students to move into the exit lane prior to slowing down.  Student Reference 

What does all of this mean?  Obviously I need to not be in such a hurry in the mornings, but in addition to that, we need to be thinking about stopping prior to when we're barreling down the exit ramp towards a line of cars at a red light. 

When do you begin the slow down to exit the interstate?  I'd love to discuss

Why do I close my eyes when I brush my teeth?

As I was getting dressed for work one morning, I realized that I always, ALWAYS close my eyes when I brush my teeth.  The whole time.  Also when I do my mouthwash.

Is this weird?  Is it a thing?

A Google search didn't yield any actual answers, but I did find out that I am making 2 of the top 8 mistakes people make when brushing their teeth.

How many do you make?