Latest news with #TheLordOfTheRings
Geek Tyrant
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
One Flipbook to Rule Them All: LORD OF THE RINGS Fans Unite for the Longest Flipbook Ever Made — GeekTyrant
Animator Andymation is inviting fans to join an insanely ambitious art project—a frame-by-frame, hand-drawn flipbook of T he Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring that aims to become the longest flipbook ever made. This three-hour beast will require more than 100,000 illustrated frames and the help of 1,600 fans around the world to pull it off. Whether you're an experienced artist or just someone who loves Middle-earth, you can pick a clip, trace it, add your own flair, and send it in. Everyone who contributes gets a custom ring engraved in Elvish, because obviously. It's fan art on a legendary scale—and you can sign up at to be part of it.
The Star
26-05-2025
- Science
- The Star
Leaf it to tech: Are AI-powered apps giving plants a voice?
The idea of conversing with greenery has long captured the human imagination, from the giant talking trees popularised in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord Of The Rings to the whimsically poetic The Lorax from Dr Seuss. And with advances in technology, the possibility of that happening in real life might not be so far off. The artificial intelligence (AI) boom that kicked off near the end of 2022 gave rise to countless mobile apps purporting to act as gardening assistants capable of identifying the exact species of plants from just a photo and 'speaking' on their behalf. While not quite at the level of 'I speak for the trees' à la the fictional Lorax character, such apps can be quite handy in a pinch for novices who can't tell grass from unwanted weeds, with many having been installed millions of times with largely positive ratings on app stores. According to Prof Vinesh Thiruchelvam, chief innovation and enterprise officer at Asia Pacific University (APU), these apps typically use AI-based Computer Vision and Image Processing to identify plant types. Prof Vinesh points out that these apps struggle in recognising less common species, citing only a 60% accuracy when it comes to unique lettuce varieties, while at the same time also losing out on local context. — VINESH THIRUCHELVAM 'The AI imagery database is trained, and a Convolutional Neural Network is utilised for analysing images. It works by breaking the image into small pieces and looking for patterns. 'These patterns help it recognise things in the image, like edges or shapes of different plants,' he says, adding that apps then use this information to provide real-time basic care advice. Growing a green thumb From Dr Nallammai Singaram's perspective, such apps make it much easier for those just starting with their home garden. A senior lecturer at the School of Biosciences, Faculty of Health & Medical Sciences at Taylor's University, she finds that 'these apps have made plant care less intimidating'. 'If I were putting a plant in my house for the first time, I wouldn't know what sort of soil to use, how to pot my plant, or how to make a potting mix. 'I might not know these things, but these apps would give you that kind of guide,' Nallammai says, adding that in the case of a rose plant, for example, an app may suggest the ideal soil mix ratio and recommend planting it about six inches below the surface. Prof Alan Dorin from the Faculty of Information Technology at Monash University shares similar thoughts, noting these apps put a wealth of information at the fingertips of those first getting started, making gardening more accessible and removing the need for extensive prior knowledge. 'For interested and engaged people, this knowledge was previously accessible via traditional means – talking to friends and neighbours, the staff at the local plant nursery, or reading gardening books, magazines, watching TV or listening to gardening radio programmes. 'The immediacy of access to information related to a specific plant is what makes these apps a stand-out method for increasing engagement with gardens,' he says. Prof Dorin notes that these apps put a wealth of information at the fingertips of those first getting started, making gardening more accessible and removing the need for extensive prior knowledge. — ALAN DORIN Nallammai says this kind of guidance can boost beginners' confidence, help avoid common mistakes, and turn gardening into a more enjoyable and therapeutic experience. 'If you truly enjoy gardening, you naturally become curious and eager to learn more about your 'green babies', exploring every way to help your plants thrive. 'This curiosity, supported by apps and digital tools, can positively influence gardening habits,' she says. Back to earth However, Nallammai also stresses that while they are a good starting point, it is 'important to remember that apps alone cannot make you an expert; real learning also requires hands-on experience and personal observation'. 'For some, the apps spark long-term interest and lasting gardening habits and bring joy. For others, they are novelty tools that provide convenience at the beginning but don't replace the need to develop real gardening knowledge,' she says. Prof Vinesh agrees, saying that 'apps are a wonderful digital support tool. But at times, it does not consider local conditions like real-time weather, soil, or heat'. 'That's why they can't replace real hands-on gardening experience, especially for serious gardeners or farmers who have to deal with the volatile climate change issues or the growing new patterns of pest attacks.' Nallammai believes the takeaway shouldn't be to entirely avoid using these apps, but rather to not rely solely upon them. — SAMUEL ONG/The Star Apps still do have a place, from Nallammai's experience, having observed her students using these kinds of apps to quickly identify plant species and receive recommendations for improving the growth of the test plants they are working with in class. She says apps like PictureThis , PlantNet , and Seek By iNaturalist are reliable for plant identification, while Planta is helpful for watering schedules, and care reminders. Plantora , on the other hand, not only detects nutrient deficiencies and signs of plant disease but also provides possible solutions to address them. It is worth noting though that most of these apps require a paid subscription to unlock their full functionality. Meanwhile, Prof Dorin says he 'was recently working with a group of primary school children who had started using apps to identify plants in their school yard'. 'Their goal was to learn whether the plants provided good resources for native bees. Their excitement and interest were infectious, heart-warming to see. 'Likewise, I know some retirees who are using these AI tools on their daily walks in local parks and gardens to identify plants and flowers they encounter. The apps provide a virtual 'guide' that is easy to appreciate,' he says. Barking up the wrong tree However, like other AI tools, these apps aren't always entirely accurate, so it's important to be cautious when receiving suggestions. Prof Vinesh points out that these apps struggle in recognising less common species, citing only a 60% accuracy when it comes to unique lettuce varieties, while at the same time also losing out on local context. From Nallammai's testing, this appears to be true. She highlights that the datasets used to train these AI apps may come from different parts of the world, which means they may not be entirely relevant or accurate for local plant species and conditions. 'I tested a yellow-green philodendron with multiple apps: PictureThis identified it as a lemon lime philodendron, another app called it a giant philodendron, while in PlantIn , they already had an existing lemon lime philodendron with different features. 'Different apps have different capabilities. Some of the rarer species may not be included in their databases, so the app might not be able to detect them. That's one of the limitations,' she says. These differences may seem minor, but Nallammai says they can indicate what specific kind of care a plant needs. The artificial intelligence (AI) boom that kicked off near the end of 2022 gave rise to countless mobile apps purporting to act as gardening assistants capable of identifying the exact species of plants from just a photo and 'speaking' on their behalf. — Image by freepik 'The darker green ones can capture better sun and may need more sunlight, the lighter ones would prefer to be a little bit on the shadier side. 'The amount of water you put might differ. The thickness of the plant, leaf thickness will also change; therefore, if it is exposed to too much sun, it will get burnt, so maybe less sun. 'They're from the same species but different variations, which could be a random mutation, or from people intentionally breeding them,' she says. Nallammai believes the takeaway shouldn't be to entirely avoid using these apps, but rather to not rely solely upon them. She encourages budding gardeners to start reading up and building their knowledge while engaging with the gardening community, especially more experienced gardeners who can offer advice from their experience. Prof Dorin similarly says: 'If there's a shortcoming, it probably lies in people's over-reliance and over-confidence in the technology. 'The ability of an AI tool to make an informed recommendation will always be limited by the amount and quality of data it receives in training, and the data it is given when asked to analyse a specific situation. 'For example, it would be tricky for AI software to give reliable and specific care information regarding a plant it hasn't been exposed to before. 'But the AI may nevertheless mislead a human by confidently offering advice based on poor evidence,' he adds. Speaking for the trees While no one should expect their sunflowers to suddenly start calling them by name or demanding more water and sunlight, the way Nallammai sees it, plants are 'talking' in their own way, though, in a language that humans don't quite understand. This is the gap that projects like the Avanade Intelligent Garden in the United Kingdom aim to bridge, allowing people to learn about the individual needs of each tree through one-on-one interactions powered by smart sensors and AI technology. From smart sensors to AI apps, technology is giving green thumbs deeper insight into what their plants need to thrive. — Image by freepik According to Nallammai, similar sensors have been deployed at Taylor's Urban Farm to monitor soil electrical conductivity and pH levels (acidity and alkalinity), helping ensure that the hydroponic system delivers the right amount of water and nutrients for healthy plant growth. A hydroponic system is a method of growing plants without soil that delivers water, oxygen, and nutrients directly to the plants. She says such systems are available at significantly smaller scales for home gardening use for as low as RM50 for a system with basic monitoring capabilities via an app, and can rise to the RM500 range for more sophisticated options with more sensors and more detailed monitoring. For casual gardeners just starting out, simple apps paired with an online kit can provide basic monitoring and easy-to-follow guidance. An app that sends reminders for watering or fertilising would also be helpful for beginners in caring for their plants without overwhelming them. Meanwhile, those looking for a challenge and wanting to explore might want more comprehensive sensor and irrigation systems to cultivate rarer species or achieve greater yields and productivity. 'The moment the plant is stressed, it's telling you what it needs in its own language,' Nammallai says. 'A very simple example: when you go home today and see that your plant is wilted. You know your plant is crying out for water. 'So if I have an app that can sense the turgidity of the leaves, it can capture that information and tell you the leaves aren't turgid, meaning they're lacking moisture. That's the plant indirectly telling you it needs water,' she says. Nammallai adds that this is already happening today with the wide array of sensors that can detect compounds in the plants, growth regulators, proteins, light, and other elements. If the right sensors are in place, each one can provide a piece of the overall picture. Nallammai explains that by combining sensor data with visual observations and other morphological indicators, it becomes possible to link them together and begin forming a kind of language that translates plant signals into meaningful insights for growers. 'Using these chemicals in the plant, we can decipher what it is 'saying'. 'The plant might just turn around and tell you, 'you know what, I'm ready, I'm heading towards maturity, I'm going to bear fruits, just hang in there',' she says.
The Verge
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Verge
Gruv's 2-for-$24 sale includes some of 2024's biggest Blu-ray releases
If you're looking to expand your 4K Blu-ray collection, Universal Pictures' massive Gruv Day sale is worth checking out. The event features deals on everything from Steelbooks to Blu-Ray box sets and individual Blu-Ray titles. There are plenty of great deals to be found, but a few standouts include The Lord of the Rings 4K trilogy for $41.99 ($25.81 off), which is nearly matching its Black Friday low. Along with all three movies in the series, it also includes the extended versions. Another highlight is HBO's Chernobyl on 4K Blu-ray, with the complete series available for just $14.99, down from $39.99. The best offer, though, is a 2-for-$24 deal featuring some of the biggest 4K Blu-ray releases from the past few years. The promo extends to over 65 movies, including recent films from the past year like The Wild Robot, Dune: Part Two, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, and Godzilla Minus sale includes older hits too, ranging from Oppenheimer and The Super Mario Bros. Movie to The Matrix. You'll even find classics from decades ago sprinkled in, like The Shining and Casablanca. Just be sure to act fast – the sale ends today, May 23.
The Verge
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Verge
Gruv's 2-for-$24 sale includes some of 2024's biggest releases
If you're looking to expand your 4K Blu-ray collection, Universal Pictures' massive Gruv Day sale is worth checking out. The event features deals on everything from Steelbooks to Blu-Ray box sets and individual Blu-Ray titles. There are plenty of great deals to be found, but a few standouts include The Lord of the Rings 4K trilogy for $41.99 ($25.81 off), which is nearly matching its Black Friday low. Along with all three movies in the series, it also includes the extended versions. Another highlight is HBO's Chernobyl on 4K Blu-ray, with the complete series available for just $14.99, down from $39.99. The best offer, though, is a 2-for-$24 deal featuring some of the biggest 4K Blu-ray releases from the past few years. The promo extends to over 65 movies, including recent films from the past year like The Wild Robot, Dune: Part Two, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, and Godzilla Minus sale includes older hits too, ranging from Oppenheimer and The Super Mario Bros. Movie to The Matrix. You'll even find classics from decades ago sprinkled in, like The Shining and Casablanca. Just be sure to act fast – the sale ends today, May 23.
New York Times
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Why Silicon Valley's Most Powerful People Are So Obsessed With Hobbits
For generations of fans, J.R.R. Tolkien's epic fantasy 'The Lord of the Rings' remains their first experience of the immersive magic of fiction. The trilogy recounts how a motley group of friends set out on a journey to destroy the great Ring of Power and defeat the dark Lord Sauron, who intends to use its dreadful magic to rule all of Middle-earth through 'force and fear.' The Ring corrupts all who use it, and its story endures as a potent allegory about the corrupting effects of greed and pride and what Tolkien called the evil 'lust for domination.' Given the trilogy's idealistic overtones, it's easy to understand why the books gained a cult following in the 1970s among hippies and Vietnam War protesters, who embraced its love of nature and rejection of consumer culture, and what they saw as its passionate denunciation of militarism and power politics. It's more difficult to understand why the trilogy's most prominent fans today are Silicon Valley tech lords like Elon Musk and Peter Thiel, and a rising group of far-right politicians in both Europe and the United States. How did a trilogy of novels about wizards and elves and furry-footed hobbits become a touchstone for right-wing power brokers? How did books that evince nostalgia for a pastoral, preindustrial past win an ardent following among the people who are shaping our digital future? Why do so many of today's high-profile fans of 'The Lord of the Rings' and other fantasy and sci-fi classics insist on turning these cautionary tales into aspirational road maps for mastering the universe? Some of the answers lie in the sheer popularity of the trilogy, which has sold more than 150 million copies across the world and permeated the public imagination, as genre fiction has moved from the margins to the mainstream. Right-wing operatives realized that references to works like 'The Lord of the Rings,' 'Star Wars' and role-playing games (many of which are heavily indebted to Tolkien) could serve their own political ends. Steve Bannon was fascinated by World of Warcraft gamers — 'rootless white males' with, he said, 'monster power' — and sought to channel their passions toward the right-wing site Breitbart News and, later, Donald Trump's 2016 campaign. In Spain, the far-right party Vox tried to hijack 'Lord of the Rings' imagery, posting a picture of the warrior Aragorn facing off against a group of enemies depicted as left-wing, feminist and L.G.B.T.Q. groups. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of Italy is famous for her love of Tolkien. The Times correspondent Jason Horowitz has chronicled how as a teenager in the 1990s, she attended a Hobbit Camp organized by members of the country's post-fascist right, which had embraced the fantasy series as a way of turning their own political marginalization into an asset: By identifying with hobbits, they hoped to override memories of Mussolini and recast themselves as underdogs. The young Meloni dressed up as a hobbit and attended singalongs with the extremist folk band Compagnia dell'Anello, or Fellowship of the Ring. For some right-wing politicians today, 'Lord of the Rings' embodies nostalgia for a bygone era, conjuring a vaguely medieval past where there are clear hierarchies of authority and class, and sharply delineated races (elves, dwarves, hobbits and orcs) with distinctive appearances and talents. Others argue that 'Lord of the Rings' embodies the tenets of Traditionalism — a once arcane philosophical doctrine that has recently gained influential adherents around the world including Aleksandr Dugin, a Russian philosopher and adviser to President Vladimir V. Putin, and Bannon. According to the scholar Benjamin Teitelbaum, Traditionalism posits that we are currently living in a dark age brought on by modernity and globalization; if today's corrupt status quo is toppled, we might return to a golden age of order — much the way that Tolkien's trilogy ends with the rightful king of Arnor and Gondor assuming the throne and ushering in a new era of peace and prosperity. A similar taste for kingly power has taken hold in Silicon Valley. In a guest essay in The Times last year, the former Apple and Google executive Kim Scott pointed to 'a creeping attraction to one-man rule in some corners of tech.' This management style known as 'founder mode,' she explained, 'embraces the notion that a company's founder must make decisions unilaterally rather than partner with direct reports or frontline employees.' The new mood of autocratic certainty in Silicon Valley is summed up in a 2023 manifesto written by the venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, who describes himself and his fellow travelers as 'Undertaking the Hero's Journey, rebelling against the status quo, mapping uncharted territory, conquering dragons and bringing home the spoils for our community.' Andreessen, along with Musk and Thiel, helped muster support for Trump in Silicon Valley, and he depicts the tech entrepreneur as a conqueror who achieves 'virtuous things' through brazen aggression, and villainizes anything that might slow growth and innovation — like government regulation and demoralizing concepts like 'tech ethics' and 'risk management.' 'We believe in nature, but we also believe in overcoming nature,' Andreesen writes. 'We are not primitives, cowering in fear of the lightning bolt. We are the apex predator; the lightning works for us.' 'A Duty to Save the World' Silicon Valley's love of Tolkien — and fantasy and science fiction more broadly — dates to its earliest days, when rooms at the Stanford A.I. Lab were named after locations in Middle-earth, and a popular thread called 'SF-Lovers' effectively became the first online social network in the 1970s. In those days, the fledgling computer community was very much a part of the Bay Area counterculture, and hackers there saw themselves as rebels going up against the establishment represented by big corporations like IBM. Like many hippies of the day, they identified with the little hobbits who help save Middle-earth and the eccentric outsiders who populate the work of science fiction masters like Isaac Asimov and Philip K. Dick. Today, of course, Apple, Google, Microsoft, Amazon and Meta are more powerful than IBM, and the best-known figures in Silicon Valley are entrepreneurs and venture capitalists worth billions. Affection for Tolkien endures — partly because a love for fantasy and science fiction seems hard-wired in many geeks. But the small gestures of tribute to Tolkien that techies made decades ago (like equipping office printers with Elvish fonts) have given way to extravagant spectacles like the Napster co-founder Sean Parker's 'Lord of the Rings'-inspired wedding, which cost, by some estimates, more than $10 million and featured Middle-earth-inspired costumes for several hundred guests. Amazon's founder, Jeff Bezos, a lifelong Tolkien fan, oversaw the company's purchase of the rights to the 'Lord of the Rings' back story for $250 million. Multiple seasons of its streaming series 'The Rings of Power,' Vanity Fair reports, will most likely cost over $1 billion, making it the most expensive series ever made. Thiel, a billionaire venture capitalist and mega donor to right-wing causes, says he's read the trilogy at least 10 times. He has named several companies after magical objects in 'Lord of the Rings.' Vice President JD Vance, whose careers in business and politics were nurtured by Thiel, followed in his steps. Vance has said that a lot of his 'conservative worldview was influenced by Tolkien growing up,' and he named his venture firm Narya Capital after Gandalf's magic ring of fire. Classic fantasy and science fiction stories have informed how many fans think about the world, giving them a Manichaean vocabulary of good vs. evil, and a propensity for asserting that the future of civilization is constantly at stake. The stories also acted as an exhortation to think big and to pursue huge, improbable dreams. In much the way that sci-fi anticipated many of the remarkable inventions we now take for granted (think: cellphones, video conferencing or biometric screenings), many engineers and inventors today aspire to create transformative technologies that might one day enable humans to merge with machine intelligence, say, or live in outer space. On one hand: the possibility of groundbreaking, disruptive innovations. On the other: all the dangers of hubris and carelessness we were warned about by science fiction from 'Frankenstein' to 'Metropolis' to '2001: A Space Odyssey.' When he was a child, Musk read Asimov's 'Foundation' series — books that inspired his dream of building a colony on Mars and would spur his resolve, as he put it in a speech at the United States Air Force Academy, 'to work hard to make science fiction not fiction.' The Asimov novels feature a brilliant mathematician named Hari Seldon, who develops an algorithmic scheme for predicting the future, which enables him to foresee the end of the Galactic Empire and make plans to preserve human civilization by building a new society on another planet. Asimov's 'Foundation' series and Tolkien's trilogy ('my favorite book ever,' Musk has said) helped forge his grandiose sense of mission, as the heroes in those books, he told The New Yorker in 2009, 'felt a duty to save the world.' Like 'Lord of the Rings,' the Foundation novels trace a narrative arc that has resonated with right-wing politicians intent on remaking the world. It's a story line in which a hero or a group of heroes takes on the challenge of a civilization in crisis. They wage war against a dangerous or moribund establishment and aspire to build a brave new world out of the ashes of the old. Similar plot dynamics are at work in Robert A. Heinlein's 'The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress,' which depicts a colony of freedom-loving settlers on the moon and their successful revolt against the oppressive rule of bureaucrats on planet Earth. Suspicious of 'Machine Worshipers' Literary classics, of course, can support myriad interpretations, and we live in an age when the points of view of readers are increasingly prioritized over authorial intentions. At the same time, it's astonishing how many contemporary takes on classic works of fantasy and science fiction fly in the face of both common sense and authors' known views of the world. Consider Mark Zuckerberg's decision to rebrand Facebook as 'Meta' — a reference to the so-called metaverse, a term coined by Neal Stephenson in his 1992 novel 'Snow Crash,' which depicts an alarming dystopian future where corporate power has replaced government institutions and a dangerous virus is on the loose. Or take Stargate, the name of OpenAI's new artificial intelligence initiative with SoftBank and Oracle, announced in conjunction with the Trump administration. Its name, weirdly, is the title of a campy 1994 sci-fi movie in which a stargate device opens a portal to a faraway planet, where a despotic alien vows to destroy Earth with a supercharged atomic bomb. Not exactly the sort of magical portal most people would want to open. Tolkien himself regarded 'machine worshipers' with suspicion, even aversion. His experiences as a soldier who survived the gruesome World War I Battle of the Somme left him with a lasting horror of mechanized warfare; on returning home, he was dismayed as well by the factories and roadways that were transforming England's landscape. This is why Mordor is depicted as a hellish, industrial wasteland, ravaged by war and environmental destruction, in contrast to the green, edenic Shire that the hobbits call home. Of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, Tolkien wrote that nuclear physics — or, for that matter, any technological innovation — need not be used for war. 'They need not be used at all. If there is any contemporary reference in my story at all it is to what seems to me the most widespread assumption of our time: that if a thing can be done, it must be done. This seems to me wholly false.' Given these views, Tolkien would have been confounded by Silicon Valley's penchant for naming tech companies after objects in 'Lord of the Rings' — particularly firms with Pentagon and national security ties. And yet two Thiel-backed companies with Tolkien-inspired names are becoming cornerstones of today's military-industrial complex: The data analytics firm Palantir gets its name from the magical 'seeing stones' in 'Lord of the Rings,' while the artificial intelligence military start-up Anduril refers to Aragorn's reforged sword. The growing embrace in Silicon Valley of 'transhumanism' — including research into life extension, machine enhancements and even finding a solution to death — underscores one of the central questions animating fantasy and science fiction: What does it mean to be human? This question drives stories set in outer space (from 'Star Trek' to 'Star Wars' to 'Doctor Who') and stories set in a mythical past. In the case of 'The Lord of the Rings,' Tolkien argued that mortality is part of 'the given nature of Men,' and the Elves called it 'the Gift of God (to Men),' allowing them 'release from the weariness of Time.' Sauron, he noted, used the fear of death to lure humans to the dark side with false promises of immortality, which turned them into his servants. Many prominent readers of 'Lord of the Rings' no longer identify with the hobbits in Middle-earth but crave more magical powers (of the very sort that the dangerous Ring promises to bestow at a terrible price). In a 2023 interview with The Atlantic, Thiel traced his fascination with immortality to the elves in 'Lord of the Rings,' calling them 'humans who don't die.' Echoing the interviewer he asked: 'Why can't we be elves?' The neoreactionary ideologue Curtis Yarvin, who thinks American democracy should be replaced by a monarchy or 'chief executive,' dismissively refers to the sort of ordinary voters who helped elect Trump as hobbits who only 'want to grill and raise kids.' Tolkien, in contrast, proudly described himself as 'a Hobbit (in all but size). I like gardens, trees and unmechanized farmlands; I smoke a pipe, and like good plain food (unrefrigerated), but detest French cooking.' Not only is 'Lord of the Rings' told from the point of view of the hobbits, but it's Frodo's gardener, the humble Sam Gamgee — not the noble king Aragorn or the great wizard Gandalf — who emerges as the real hero of the epic. Sam plays a crucial role in carrying out the mission of destroying the Ring, and his story is the one that concludes the trilogy. After the war of the Ring, we learn, Sam returns home to the Shire, where he is elected mayor, marries his girlfriend, Rosie, and raises 13 children. Sam, Tolkien wrote in a 1956 letter, was inspired by the brave English soldiers he'd served with during World War I, and other letters suggest that he saw the heroics of Sam and Frodo as a testament to his belief that small hands 'move the wheels of the world' because 'they must, while the eyes of the great are elsewhere.'
