[Review/Facts] The Rule Of Four

The Rule Of Four

Book title : The Rule Of Four
Authors : Ian Caldwell & Dustin Thomason
First Published In : 2004 (UK)
Language : English
Publisher :The Dial Press
Genre : Novel
Pages : 521 (Paperback) / 384 (hardcover)
Buy From Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/Rule-Four-Ian-Caldwell/dp/0440241359

Plot summary @ Wikipedia
The book is set on the Princeton campus during the weekend of Good Friday, 1999. The story involves four Princeton seniors, friends and roommates, getting ready for graduation: Tom, Paul, Charlie and Gil. Two of the students, Tom and Paul, are trying to solve the mystery contained within an extremely rare, beautifully decorated and very mysterious (real) book— the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili.

Tom, the narrator, is the son of a professor who had dedicated his life to the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili. Throughout the novel, he struggles between being fascinated by the book and trying to pull away from the obsession that drew a rift between his father and his mother and is now causing discord between him and his girlfriend, Katie.

His roommate, Paul Harris, is a brilliant young scholar who is writing his undergraduate thesis on the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili. He has spent all four of his undergraduate years studying the book and is close to a breakthrough.

Charlie, the roommate who acts as the parent of the four friends and Gil, heir to a wealthy East-Coast banking family are supporting characters to Tom and Paul’s project.

The novel charts the relationship between the four roommates and how obsession can be both a boon and a burden. It is a story about growing up as much as solving the mystery of the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili. The disciplines of Renaissance science, history, architecture, and art are drawn upon to solve the mystery.

In the end, Paul discovers that the Hypnerotomachia contains a number of hidden and encyphered texts, with the solution to each one revealing a clue towards the next one. However, after solving a chain of several of these, he finds a text that says that there will be no more clues and he must solve the rest of the book on his own. He realizes that the entire book contains a message encoded by following a “rule of four”, in which the message starts with one letter, then moves to a letter four rows down, then three columns right, then two rows up, then two columns left, and repeating. The placement of this hidden text throughout the entire book explains the Hypnerotamachia’s strange syntax, use of multiple languages, and neologisms. This final text explains that the author of the Hypnerotomachia was a humanist in Renaissance Florence, who created a large underground vault to seal away a number of ancient books and pieces of art to preserve them from the followers of the priest Girolamo Savonarola, and who then sacrificed himself on the Bonfire of the Vanities to help prevent further destruction of humanist treasures.

It also turns out that Paul’s friend Bill Stein and his thesis advisor Vincent Taft were conspiring together to steal Paul’s thesis and claim credit for it, and the sealed vault of treasures. They were murdered by Paul’s wealthy but unstable benefactor Richard Curry to prevent this from happening.

My Review

I finished reading the book about an hour ago.

Two words. It sucks. I can’t believe this book reached the top of the New York Times Bestseller list, remained for more than six months.

Some said, it’s as good as Da Vinci Code (by Dan Brown).Trust me, that’s crap. Da Vinci Code is 10000000 times better than The Rule Of Four. If you’re a fan of Dan Brown (like me), just chuck Ian Caldwell’s book aside. Don’t bother reading it. Why so? Because the story doesn’t seem to have a climax! Zero excitement. Lost count of how many times I yawned. I was telling myself…”Read on…be patient…read on…you’ll soon reach the exciting part of the novel…..WTF???! That’s it??! That’s the end of the book?!”

Another thing, the story (narration of certain events) doesn’t flow smoothly. In other words, the content is not well organised. Plus it’s a bit out of focus too. The authors kept writing on other unimportant stuff (not related to main plot). Language wise, it’s alright. A lot of “Renaissance” terms though. :lmao:

I might be a lousy reader, but I guess I expected more from this book. My advise is, read this book first before reading Dan Brown’s “Da Vinci Code”. Trust me. You’ll notice the vast difference between these two books.

But here are some interesting facts from the book:

Nude Olympics In Princeton University, NJ (Ivy League)

Believe or not, that was a tradition in PRINCETON. (I couldn’t believe my brother didn’t tell me about this!)

Here’s some info from wikipedia :
Nude Olympics – annual (nude and partially nude) frolic in Holder Courtyard during the first snow of the winter. Started in the early 1970s, the Nude Olympics went co-ed in 1979 and gained much notoriety with the American press. For safety reasons, the administration banned the Olympics in 2000.

You can read up on the origins of Nude Olympics here : http://tigernet.princeton.edu/~ptoniana/nude.asp

Extras :

Hypnerotomachia Poliphili
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypnerotomachia_Poliphili

To download Hypnerotomachia
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/18459

Francesco Colonna
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francesco_Colonna

Princeton University
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princeton_University

Rain-Colbert Dance Off Is Happening!

Date : 5 May 2008

Colbert’s fansites have made a CAP of Rain’s appearance on the Colbert’s show for the DANCE OFF! They have announced that the showdown in fact has happened! Show will be aired on MONDAY!

Link to the video : http://www.veoh.com/videos/v86056002HxqK7Jd

Source: www.nofactzone.net+www.koreapopwars.com

Posted by : shenyuepop

Premiere Of “What Happens In Vegas”

Date : 3 May 2008

What Happens in Vegas… is a 2008 romantic comedy film from 20th Century Fox starring Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher.

Below are some photos from the premiere.

Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher at Twentieth Century Fox World Premiere of ‘What Happens in Vegas’ on May 1, 2008 at the Mann Village Theatre in Westwood, CA. (Diaz sure looks sweet in that dress ~ Though the ribbon looks pretty annoying.lol)

Lake Bell : Yo people here I come!
Lake Bell at Twentieth Century Fox World Premiere of ‘What Happens in Vegas’ on May 1, 2008 at the Mann Village Theatre in Westwood, CA.

Director Tom Vaughan, Cameron Diaz, Producer Michael Aguilar at Twentieth Century Fox World Premiere of ‘What Happens in Vegas’ on May 1, 2008 at the Mann Village

Regency’s Bob Harper and Fox’ Hutch Parker at Twentieth Century Fox World Premiere of ‘What Happens in Vegas’ on May 1, 2008 at the Mann Village Theatre in Westwood, CA.

Vince Vaughn : Reach for the stars, people. I love that “Hail Hitler” stance. lmao.
Vince Vaughn at Twentieth Century Fox World Premiere of ‘What Happens in Vegas’ on May 1, 2008 at the Mann Village Theatre in Westwood, CA

Fox’ Tony Sella and Diablo Cody at Twentieth Century Fox World Premiere of ‘What Happens in Vegas’ on May 1, 2008 at the Mann Village Theatre in Westwood, CA.

Tamera Mowry at Twentieth Century Fox World Premiere of ‘What Happens in Vegas’ on May 1, 2008 at the Mann Village Theatre in Westwood, CA. (Hmmmm..weird fashion taste I say)

Eva Longoria Parker at Twentieth Century Fox World Premiere of ‘What Happens in Vegas’ on May 1, 2008 at the Mann Village Theatre in Westwood, CA

Michelle Krusiee at Twentieth Century Fox World Premiere of ‘What Happens in Vegas’ on May 1, 2008 at the Mann Village Theatre in Westwood, CA. (GAH, I dont think that dress suits her at all)

No offence, but is that a human moth?
Bai Ling at Twentieth Century Fox World Premiere of ‘What Happens in Vegas’ on May 1, 2008 at the Mann Village Theatre in Westwood, CA.

Brooke Burns at Twentieth Century Fox World Premiere of ‘What Happens in Vegas’ on May 1, 2008 at the Mann Village Theatre in Westwood, CA. (Sxy body, huh?)

Billy Marquart and Fernanda Romero at Twentieth Century Fox World Premiere of ‘What Happens in Vegas’ on May 1, 2008 at the Mann Village Theatre in Westwood, CA. (Fernanda sure looks sweeter now~)

Carolina Liar at Twentieth Century Fox World Premiere of ‘What Happens in Vegas’ on May 1, 2008 at the Mann Village Theatre in Westwood, CA.

Source : Variety.com

R. Kelly Case: Three-Way in Play

Date : 3 May 2008

The platinum pisser may be the one getting screwed this time.

A woman is set to testify at R. Kelly’s upcoming child pornography trial, revealing that she had a threesome with Kelly and the allegedly underage girl shown in the infamous video.

Sources tell the Chicago Sun-Times that the new witness will not only testify that she was underage when she had the threesome with Kelly — but that the other girl involved is the exact same person who is now identified as the alleged victim.

Prosecutors claim to have identified the girl in the videotape — who is now in her 20s. She denies it’s her on the tape. She will take the stand in the trial as well.

Jury selection for the trial begins Friday. Both sides declined to comment, citing a gag order in the case.

Source : TMZ.com

Friends and family shocked by Carey-Cannon nuptials

Date : 4 May 2008

The whirlwind romance between Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon turned into “I dos” for the couple, and their friends say they’re stunned about the wedding.

“I’m shell-shocked,” a source in Carey’s camp tells People magazine. “As far as I know, they are happy together.”

Music mogul Russell Simmons said he didn’t know about the nuptials ahead of time. “Whatever makes them happy,” he said Friday. “They have a lot in common and should have a lot of fun together.”

Even Cannon’s family was surprised. “It’s crazy right! We’re definitely happy,” Cannon’s brother, Gabriel, tells People.

News Report On Youtube:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=KWaAj1wsYOk

Source : Newsday

Se7en performs at Highlands

Date : 3 May 2008

A Review From Javabeans

American-crossover hopeful Se7en held his album preview party last night at the Hollywood club Highlands, where he performed three songs from his upcoming debut album.

In a nutshell? If you’re a Se7en fan, the event was probably a success because you got to see him performing up close and personal in a relatively small club atmosphere. No way you’d get this close in a performance in Korea, or Asia. Promotion-wise, the party was packed and people were screaming with excitement when Se7en took the stage, so another plus there.

If you’re me, though, neither a Se7en fan nor hater, merely curious to see the atmosphere and wishing him well despite being rather dubious to his crossover appeal, the event was a mixed bag.

Clip: Se7en performing the second song of the night, “Money Can’t Buy Me Love”

Visit Youtube : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvS-sB-ss3o

Credits :
Photos : happyroach @ Soompi
Event review : Javabeans
Youtube Clip : Javabeans

Dong-wook stars in “Sweet Life” a new MBC TV drama currently in production

Date : 24 April 2008

Actor Lee Dong-wook (age: 27) returns to the small screen after a 2-year hiatus.

He will star in “Sweet Life,” a special MBC weekend TV drama that is set to premiere on May 3, 2008 in the leading role. His co-star will be actress Oh Yeon-soo (age: 37). The show is a romance about how Joon-soo, the character that Lee Dong-wook will play, falls in love with a married woman whom he met by coincidence during a trip to Japan.

It would seem to be another TV drama about a scandalous affair but Lee Dong-wook offers a different take on the drama by emphasizing that “it’s not story about a typical romance or extramarital affair.” Yet, he didn’t go into any details to elaborate on the differences. “If I reveal any aspect of the plot, it would be a major spoiler so I don’t know what I can or cannot say about the show” he said. But he did drop a hint that the tagline in the “Sweet Life” synopsis that says, “There’s a devil inside me,” reveals something about his character.

While filming a scene on location at Hokkaido, Japan, Director Kim Ji-min told Lee Dong-wook to “try to bring out the devil inside of you.”’ Instead of describing the character that he plays, Lee said, “You might think that my character is the villain. But you’ll learn later on why he became like that. When I read the script, I knew that I had to play the role because of the uncharacteristic elements that you’ll see in him. Many actors and actresses crave to play characters that spiral downward into a pit of misery because it gives them a chance to display the raw emotions of a downtrodden figure.

With a wry smile, Lee said, “It’s easy to approach a role in a romantic comedy or a drama about a scandalous affair but this drama is totally different. That’s why I wanted the role so much. It’s more challenging than other roles but I believe that after I complete this project, I’ll become a better actor than before.’”

When asked about the playing the love interest of actress Oh Yeon-soo in “Sweet Life,” Lee said,  “It was awkward at first to play opposite Oh Yeon-soo because not only is it my first time to co-star with her but she’s also 10 years older than me. I’m basically a shy guy. It wasn’t easy to act as her romantic partner. But since I spent 22 days shooting scenes with just her in Japan, I was able to get to know her well.”

Asked about any interesting incidents during his shoots, Lee Dong-wook marveled that, “The minute I landed in Japan, my days were filled with uncommon events that would never happen in Korea.” “It snowed 22 consecutive days in Japan. Don’t you think that’s crazy? I had a difficult time because of the snow and cold weather,” he recalled with a shiver. In one scene, he treads through the snow in a rage and that was one of his hard scenes to shoot. But Lee didn’t go any further as he stopped himself from unraveling the mystery surrounding his character. Known as the pretty boy of romantic comedies, he transforms into a villain in his new TV drama according to the vague hints that he dropped about his character. Viewers will have to wait until the TV drama premieres to find out more about his role.

Source : MBC Global Media

TVXQ 3rd Live Tour in Japan [T]

What’s happening with our favourite TVXQ / DBSK boys? Don’t you miss them? Micky, Yun-ho, Xiah, Max, Hero…where are you?

Arguably Korea’s most well known boy band TVXQ is currently busy touring the land of the rising sun. Their 3rd Live Tour in Japan runs from March 19 – May 6, 2008.

With only short trips back to Korea, they will spend most of nearly two months in Japan, performing at a total of 8 cities. This time around, they will be performing at much larger venues compared to their first and second tours. In this third tour, the five fab boys will be thrilling a whopping 180,000 delirious Japanese & International fans. They will hold concerts at cities such as Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, Fukuoka and Nagoya.

Here are some statistics so you can grasp how big the boys have become in Japan.

1st Live Tour 2006 : Heart, Mind, Soul
7 cities, 11 shows – 15 thousand fans

2nd Live Tour 2007 : Five in the Black
10 cities, 16 shows – 58 thousand fans

3rd Live Tour 2008 – [T]
8 cities, 17 shows – 150 thousand fans

I’ll leave you with a video of TVXQ talking about their 3rd Japan tour, on a Japanese program. In Japan, they are known as Tohoshinki.

Visit Youtube : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEszgMEc5U4

Rain’s Agency Targets Japanese Market

Date : 4 May 2008

Rain’s entertainment agency J. Tune Entertainment (CEO Cho Dong-won) is preparing to launch a cellular content service for Japanese fans.

On April 28th, a J. Tune representative announced that they have signed a contract with ACCEL Corporation, a Japanese company dealing in wireless services and that they are ready to provide “top quality content that will fulfill the needs of fans in Japan.”

ACCEL will receive entertainment content from J. Tune and release it in early June to Japan’s three major cellular service providers – NTT Docomo, KDDI, and Softbank.

“We plan on sharing footage of Rain’s performances and his daily life through the content service which can be viewed in Japan anytime, anywhere,” a J. Tune representative said. “We hope that Japanese fans will show great interest in this new service.”

Source : KBS Global

IVY to Make Drama Debut in June

Date : 4 May 2008

Singer IVY took a break from the spotlight after being threatened at the end of last year. The singer will return to showbiz this June with her TV drama debut in the SBS production “Tokyo, Yeowubi” (screenplay by Kim Jin-hee, directed by Lee Joon-hyung).

“‘Tokyo, Yeowubi’ was shot entirely in Japan last year and it will air at 10pm on June 2nd, 3rd, 9th and 10th,” announced the production company of the drama, Work Wonders.

Starring Kim Sa-rang and Kim Tae-woo, “Tokyo, Yeowubi” is a melodrama about the love that blossoms between actress ‘Soo-jin’ and sushi chef ‘Hyun-soo’ after a fateful encounter in Japan.

Also starring in the TV drama are Japanese actors Otani Ryohei, Okuda Erika and Yamamoto Gaku.

“‘Tokyo, Yeowubi’ was produced as a cinematic drama to be viewed in theaters,” explained Work Wonders. “And besides the director, writer and producer, the entire crew is Japanese.”

The director of the drama, Lee Joon-hyung, is famous for directing music videos of singers Sung Si-kyung, Lee Soo-young and Vibe.

Source : KBS Global